A FOOTBALL stadium that housed one of England’s historic clubs for over a century is now a housing estate.
From the highs of promotions to the agony of relegation, the ground witnessed plenty of ups and downs.
In its pomp it was even able to house 33,000 passionate supporters.
But when the Taylor Report emerged in 1990 its days were always going to be numbered.
With much of the ground having terracing, converting it into an all-seater stadium was never going to be feasible.
And when its club began to harbour ambitions of one day reaching the Premier League, its old stadium had to be replaced.
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The ground in question is Reading’s old Elm Park.
Having formed in 1871, the Royals moved to Elm Park all the way back in 1896.
They played their first match there on September 5, 1896 against an A. Roston Bourke XI – with the game abandoned due to the weather with Reading leading 7-1.
The Royals would stay at Elm Park until 1998, before moving into the Madejski Stadium, where they still reside today.
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Their new home was initially named after former owner John Madejski, who bought the club in 1990 and set about rising them up through the leagues.
Elm Park’s final match was against Norwich on May 3, 1998.
Reading’s last season at their old home didn’t go to plan as they were relegated from Division Two.
The final goal at Elm Park was scored by Craig Bellamy, who netted for the Canaries in their 1-0 win over Reading.
Elm Park is now a regular residential area, with houses having been built where fans used to congregate.
It now appears to be a street like any other, with cars parked outside houses and wheelie bins put out on the correct days.
The old ground was situated between Norfolk Road and Tilehurst Road.
But now all that remains are memories of years gone by.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
