Record Attendance

[SpaceCruiser]

Not sure which forum it should go in, probably the Club Policies forum?

Anyway, I note that our record attendance is the 33,042 we had against Brentford many many many years ago, before most of our time (It was in 1927!).

What do you reckon are the chances of us breaking that record in 1 to 5 years time?

[wehateoxford]

we need to have a 30k stadium first, but i expect against a team like chelsea or man utd, all the berkshire devils or whatever will pack home and away stands

[moo]

If we had a 30k stadium surely the record would remain unbroken ?

[SpaceCruiser]

If we had a 30k stadium surely the record would remain unbroken ?

My thoughts, exactly!

[Jerry St Clair]

Anyway, I note that our record attendance is the 33,042 we had against Brentford

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Anyone been in a 20k+ EP crowd?

[quinnsleftfoot]

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Same here. I think some of those attendance figures must have been fixed.

[Jerry St Clair]

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Same here. I think some of those attendance figures must have been fixed.

I don't actually doubt the figures. Why would the club make them artificially high? They'd round them down, if anything, to avoid tax payments.

[SpaceCruiser]

Anyway, I note that our record attendance is the 33,042 we had against Brentford

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Anyone been in a 20k+ EP crowd?

If you think about it, that was back in 1927, when Elm Park was a different place, I don't think they even had proper stands all round the football pitch. I'm sure I saw a picture in the Pictorial History of RFC that showed the massive crowd.

[quinnsleftfoot]

I don't actually doubt the figures. Why would the club make them artificially high? They'd round them down, if anything, to avoid tax payments.

I actually meant I thought they'd rounded them down with the crowds of 15,000 in the 90's to do just that.

[The Cube]

And the record crowd for any Reading game is 64107 (because Bolton couldn't sell all their tickets but deliberately made sure they hadn't left any convenient blocks that could be passed on to Reading fans).

That record should go this season. Probably in the Cup Final....

[Jerry St Clair]

If you think about it, that was back in 1927, when Elm Park was a different place, I don't think they even had proper stands all round the football pitch. I'm sure I saw a picture in the Pictorial History of RFC that showed the massive crowd.

No, the ground was substantially the same. The Main Stand was there and all the other terraces were in place - the only difference being they had railway sleepers instead of a concrete terracing.

[SpaceCruiser]

If you think about it, that was back in 1927, when Elm Park was a different place, I don't think they even had proper stands all round the football pitch. I'm sure I saw a picture in the Pictorial History of RFC that showed the massive crowd.

No, the ground was substantially the same. The Main Stand was there and all the other terraces were in place - the only difference being they had railway sleepers instead of a concrete terracing.

Are you sure about that? I guess I'll have to have a look at the pictorial history book when I get home!

[Spirit of Elm Park]

No, the ground was substantially the same. The Main Stand was there and all the other terraces were in place - the only difference being they had railway sleepers instead of a concrete terracing.

Not strictly true, as my grandad told it, the south bank was in fact a grass Bank, with no terracing, and he used to fondly remember being sat so close to the touchline that him and his mate were trying to trip up the opposition players as they ran past.

[fozzy]

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Anyone been in a 20k+ EP crowd?

I was at both the Arsenal FA Cup game in 1972 and Southampton League Cup Game in 1978 - both over 20k (don't have exact figures to hand)

[alad]

And the record crowd for any Reading game is 64107 (because Bolton couldn't sell all their tickets but deliberately made sure they hadn't left any convenient blocks that could be passed on to Reading fans).

That record should go this season. Probably in the Cup Final....

It will go at Old Trafford, when 75,000 plus watch Man United v Reading.

[Dulwich Royal]

I was in a crowd, as a boy, of at least 25,000 for a Cup match v Man City (when they were reigning League champions) which I think was around 1969/1970.

A few years later there was a biggish crowd for a Cup match v Sunderland who went on to win the Cup.

20K plus crowds were quite common then and into the late 70's.

Not much room to move around in though !

[SpaceCruiser]

I'm wondering how big the crowd was for the Simod Cup semi-final against Coventry as that was the most packed I remember Elm Park being. I couldn't bloody move and that was in the Tilehurst End! It was a bit tricky to stay on my feet when there was bit of angry shoving over to my left (I couldn't see it).

[Chaney]

Reading v Wolves when our winning record came to an end, dont think I ever saw a bigger crowd at elm park, the police had a restriction of 13,000.
and thats what the announcer gave at the time, but its my guess it was at least double that.

[strap]

Anyway, I note that our record attendance is the 33,042 we had against Brentford

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Anyone been in a 20k+ EP crowd?

Several. Arsenal FAC4 in 71-2, Southampton LC4 78-9 I think, Sunderland FAC4 72-3 (just below 20k), Manure WC 70-71, (only 18.5k).

Could hardly see a thing, and best memory was shifting down about 10 rows ofSB terraces after Barrie Wagstaff equalised v the Arse. Feet were nowhere near the ground! Just wedged between bodies!

For what it's worth, I think the best crowd atmosphere I've expereinced was the Wigan play-off sf a few years ago at the Mad Stad.

[LimpBiscuit]

Anyway, I note that our record attendance is the 33,042 we had against Brentford

I cannot believe that many people got into Elm Park. I've been in a 16k and that seemed packed solid.

Anyone been in a 20k+ EP crowd?

Against Man City and Arsenhole . It wasn't that bad.