14/02/2013 02:28 PM
Reading FC are planning to expand the Madejski Stadium, according to the club's chairman.
Sir John Madejski stated that the Premier League side will resubmit a planning application to expand their current home which could take the capacity up to 38,000. However, the chairman explained that the work will only go ahead if the Berkshire club can retain their top flight status. Reading are currently owned by Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich who is part of the company which took over the club in May 2012 and is said to have grand ambitions for the team.
The current permission agreement to expand the Madejski Stadium was granted in 2007 but it was under the provision that work would have to start by November 2013. It now looks unlikely that this will come to fruition due to the club's insistence that they wait until summer before making a final decision. Reading say they will now resubmit the application.
Sir John told BBC Radio Berkshire: "Everything has to be considered. It's important we get the squad right, we've got a great facility here already and the more we progress, the more chance we have of staying up and moving forward."
Reading will want to avoid following in the footsteps of Wolverhampton Wanderers who also embarked on an expansion project of their Molineux home. The Midlands club began work on increasing the capacity of their stadium to 31,700 during the 2011/12 season when they were playing Premier League football.
However, they were subsequently relegated to the Championship at the end of the campaign and have only commanded an average attendance of 21,953 during their 2012/13 season in England's second tier, despite the expansion to Molineux's capacity.
Reading are still very much involved in the Premier League relegation mix and currently lie in 18th place. However, they were boosted by a recent run of good form which saw them pick up three wins out of five games, including a spirited 2-2 draw at home to European champions Chelsea.
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Sir John Madejski stated that the Premier League side will resubmit a planning application to expand their current home which could take the capacity up to 38,000. However, the chairman explained that the work will only go ahead if the Berkshire club can retain their top flight status. Reading are currently owned by Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich who is part of the company which took over the club in May 2012 and is said to have grand ambitions for the team.
The current permission agreement to expand the Madejski Stadium was granted in 2007 but it was under the provision that work would have to start by November 2013. It now looks unlikely that this will come to fruition due to the club's insistence that they wait until summer before making a final decision. Reading say they will now resubmit the application.
Sir John told BBC Radio Berkshire: "Everything has to be considered. It's important we get the squad right, we've got a great facility here already and the more we progress, the more chance we have of staying up and moving forward."
Reading will want to avoid following in the footsteps of Wolverhampton Wanderers who also embarked on an expansion project of their Molineux home. The Midlands club began work on increasing the capacity of their stadium to 31,700 during the 2011/12 season when they were playing Premier League football.
However, they were subsequently relegated to the Championship at the end of the campaign and have only commanded an average attendance of 21,953 during their 2012/13 season in England's second tier, despite the expansion to Molineux's capacity.
Reading are still very much involved in the Premier League relegation mix and currently lie in 18th place. However, they were boosted by a recent run of good form which saw them pick up three wins out of five games, including a spirited 2-2 draw at home to European champions Chelsea.
Contact us for a security fencing quote.
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