Reading F.C. - Crest and Colours

Crest and Colours

The first crest to appear on a Reading kit was in 1953, it featured just the letter "R". There was no crest seen again until 1981 when there was a crest featuring three trees and the rivers Thames and Kennet, this only lasted two seasons. From 1987–96 the crest used the new kit colours of yellow, sky blue, royal blue and white. In 1995 chairman John Madejski thought it was important that the club moved with the times saying "I know some traditionalists will say we should keep the old badge but they should bear in mind the need to move forward." This crest only lasted from 1996–98 when the club moved to the new Madejski Stadium. The current crest was first seen on the kits for the 1998–99 season. It is based on the club colours, blue and white, a crown representing royal sovereignty for the County of Berkshire and an image of Reading's most famous landmark, the Maiwand Lion.

In 1871, at the formation of the Club, Reading did play in hoops. This lasted for only a few years, and upon entering the Southern Football League in 1894 the Club was playing in stripes – possibly so they did not clash with other teams who were already in the Southern League and wore hoops. Reading then reverted to hoops until the beginning of the Second World War, because numbering of shirts became compulsory (in 1939), and the numbers were easier to see against a hooped background. Since then the club have had several more changes. In the mid 1960s they changed the shirts to sky blue, following the fashion introduced by Coventry City. That remained until 1969, when they returned to hoops under the orders of manager of Jack Mansell. Reading have remained in a variety of hooped shirts ever since, apart from the mid 1980s when they played in blue and white panels before hoops returned in 1992.