Country: Great Britain
Type: Football
Match: Reading FC versus Yeovil Town
League: Championship
Hospitality Package: Royals Premium
- Private table for dining in the Royal Suite Lounge
- Three course pre-match meal with half a bottle of wine
- Half-time and full-time refreshments
- Matchday activities
- Reserved car parking (one space per four guests)
- Complimentary matchday programme
- Bar facility
- Teamsheet
- Pitch facing lounge
- Dedicated room host/hostess
- TVs
Stadium: The stadium, named after Reading’s chairman John Madejski is shared with London Irish Rugby Club. It is located outside Reading’s city center in a Retail park and has a capacity of 24,200 (all seated). Three sides are single tiered, whilst on one side the West (Main) Stand is two tiered, including a row of executive boxes as well as the hospitality lounges. This stand has a curve in its roof and the team dug outs are located in front. The ground has been designed with the supporter in mind as the fans are housed very close to the pitch and the acoustics are very good. The stadium also has a video screen in the South East corner.
Hospitality entrance: Entrance for ticket holders in the possession of a hospitality ticket / package is done via the main reception entrance located in the West Stand. Here also the allocated hospitality tickets can be collected from 12PM onwards (for matches with kick-off at 3PM). No queues here and some very friendly hostesses.
Royal Suite Lounge (for Royals Premium package): The Royal Suite is located mid-level on the West Stand. Strategically positioned on the half-way line, the Royal Suite offers superb views over the pitch. The Suite itself opens at 12PM for matches with kick-off at 3PM and is fairly intimate with seating capacity of about 50 persons. If possible try to get a table near the windows who overlook the pitch, truly spectacular. A big plus of the Royals Premium package is that you can ask beforehand for a fully dressed private table for dining in the Suite. The Suite comes with dedicated host/hostess and waiting staff, complimentary matchday programmes, teamsheets, match quiz, pay bar facility and TV’s showing Sky Sports.
When we visited the Suite, matchday activities included presentations of two players of the U21 Reading FC squad as well as pre- and post-match analysis made by a former player.
Man of the Match (MoM) question and answer sessions and photograph opportunities also take place in the Suite, but please be aware that the primary MoM presentation takes place in the Premier Suite (part of the Premier Suite package)
Food and Drinks:
Included in the package is half a bottle of wine per person, for which there is choice between white and red. Both wines are nice, no saving on wine quality here. In addition the is a private pay bar facility that pours all the premium draft beers as well as wines, bottles of beers and soft drinks.
With respect to food, everything is prepared well and cooked to order. The package includes a three course pre-match meal and for each course there is choice between 3 different options. As we visited this match with a vegetarian, also these dishes were of high quality (please provide in advance any meal preferences). Accompanying bread with different condiments was provided shift.
During half-time tea and coffee with biscuits was provided and upon entering the Suite, this was already placed on your dining table. Full-time refreshments included a variety of fried snacks. Here we thought something could be done a little more, given the very high quality of the food and drinks experienced. The private pay bar service ends approximately one hour after the final whistle.
Seating:
Here comes the part where you have to pay attention, in a positive way. The Royal Suite comes with two hospitality packages, The Royals Premium and the slightly more expensive Royals Exclusive. The difference between the two packages primarily lies in the seating allocation. Royals Exclusive has direct Royal Suite access to exclusive balcony seating on the half-way line in the mid-level West stand. Royals Premium has match seating adjacent to the Directors’ Box in the Upper West stand. Both seating arrangements include padded seating and are located on the half-way line, but the seats in the Upper West Stand are recently refurbished and the seats there are much more nicer. So although the Royals Exclusive package is slightly more expensive we prefer the Royals Premium package due to the seating.
Costs: Adult: £110+ VAT per person | 16 and under: £59+ VAT per person for Royals Premium and Adult: £125 + VAT per person | 16 and under: £69+ VAT per person for Royals Exclusive
Good to know: We were lucky to be greeted by a very nice man from the hospitality team, during our stay in the Royal Suite. He was kind enough to give us a private stadium tour including visits to the Trophy Room, Director’s Lounge, The Tunnel and Pitch side including the Technical Area. A fantastic experience. Right next and we mean right next to the stadium is the Millennium Hotel where some of the players come to have a drink after the match.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid review and we haven’t been asked to write this. All views and words are our own and have not been influenced by anyone else.
