Few clubs have such a festive birthday. Reading were founded on Christmas Day, 25 December 1871, and this year they celebrate 155 years, which makes them one of the oldest professional clubs in England. Their shirt, with its blue and white horizontal hoops, has not always looked the same. It was lost, found again and at one point came back because the supporters themselves asked for it.

Christmas at the Bridge Street Rooms

The idea belonged to Joseph Edward Sydenham, who organised a public meeting at the town's Bridge Street Rooms, chaired it and then became the club's secretary. The first official match came two months later, on 21 February 1872, against Reading School, and ended 0-0. In the early years the team moved between several grounds, from the Recreation Ground to the Caversham Cricket Ground, before finding a permanent home.

Hoops that come and go

The first colours were navy and white hoops. Around 1890 the hoops became stripes, and in 1898–99 the team briefly wore plain white shirts. Shortly before the Second World War the hoops returned, this time in bright royal blue, and in 1948 they became broader. A sky blue shirt was tried in 1965, but manager Jack Mansell brought the hoops back in 1969. From 1983 a bolder combination of sky blue, dark blue, yellow and white followed. In 1992 the hoops returned, partly due to supporter pressure, and they have remained the main pattern ever since.

From biscuits to a crown

For decades the team was known as the Biscuitmen, thanks to biscuit maker Huntley & Palmers, which had one of the largest factories of its kind in the town. When the company hit hard times in the 1970s, the club asked fans for new suggestions and manager Charlie Hurley chose the Royals, after the Royal County of Berkshire. The crest followed a similar path: in 1953 the badge on the shirt was a simple "R", in 1981 three elm trees and the rivers Thames and Kennet appeared, and since 1998–99 the badge has featured a crown and the Maiwand Lion.

The garden of elms

On 5 September 1896 Reading played for the first time at Elm Park, a former gravel pit in the west of the town. The match was abandoned because of rain with the hosts leading 7-1. The club stayed there for more than a hundred years, with a record crowd of 33,042 for an FA Cup tie against Brentford in 1927. That same year they reached the FA Cup semi-finals. The last match at Elm Park was played on 3 May 1998, and in August the team moved to the new Madejski Stadium.

The merger that never happened

In 1983 Oxford United chairman Robert Maxwell announced a plan to merge the two clubs into a side called "Thames Valley Royals". Roy Tranter and Roger Smee blocked it and Reading carried on independently. Three years later came the reward: in 1985–86 they opened the Third Division season with a record 13 straight wins and were promoted as champions. In 1988 they lifted the Simod Cup at Wembley, beating Luton Town 4-1.

106 points and the hard years

The brightest season was 2005–06 under Steve Coppell: Reading won the Championship with 106 points, a record for the division. In their first year in the Premier League they finished eighth. They returned as champions in 2012, and in 2017 they lost the play-off final to Huddersfield on penalties. The years that followed were marked by financial problems, points deductions and relegation in 2023, until the club changed ownership in May 2025. For the 150th anniversary, the 2021–22 shirt was dedicated to the milestone.

Happy birthday to Reading, a club that shares its birthday with Christmas. May the hoops always be blue and white and the coming seasons calmer than the last few.

Browse our retro football shirts at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Madejski Stadium – dantaylor, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.