Blissful Bearwood: A Day At Reading’s Training Ground
Bobbins reports back from Sunday’s Bearwood open day, when thousands of Royals season-ticket holders got the chance to see some fantastic facilities.
It has always been a bit of a dream to visit Bearwood, as I’m sure it has been for many of us. We’ve been told so many times that this place was akin to heaven on earth, that it’s at the standard of a Premier League club, that players would walk over hot coals to train there, etc. Other forms of hyperbole are available.
To receive the opportunity via sealing the deal on yet another season ticket was going to make my wish come true, finally! This date in the calendar could not come around quick enough. Unlike many Sundays it was one to really look forward to.
Firstly, it was great just to be able to park at the stadium again. That two-month gap seemed like a lifetime, but I digress. Once at Bearwood it initially felt very strange. I’ve been around this club for a huge part of my life, but I’d never been here before. It felt odd but exciting nonetheless.
Once off the hotbox of the bus, we walked up to the many, many pitches that are used for the under-21 and under-18 academy groups and younger. It was then that I got the first vast feeling of SPACE that Bearwood has. In view at that point alone were 10 (TEN) pitches, mostly full-sized and with different underlying characteristics, as explained by Matt the head groundsman.
Before barely stepping foot into the establishment there was already a sense of awe. That continued up the hill and around to Lake Lodge. This was where club officials such as Mark Bowen and Dayong Pang used to hold residence. Now, it was being re-purposed for another use. In my mind this was some kind of exorcism of the previous regime, but this probably is not the case at all and my imagination just running wild.
Next to Lake Lodge was an ice cream van which must have made an almighty killing in the midday July sun. Fans also queued to see our new number one, the one and only, Joel Pereira.
Quite sensibly he was in the shade as a huge line formed seeking his sweaty autograph. It was at this point I got the first of many “oh, we have our club back” moments. Seeing so many kids with their parents waiting to see a player that we have truly taken to our hearts - and forming such a long line - was a bit of a metaphor for the whole event. A separate line had formed for Kelvin Abrefa - understandably, he doesn’t quite carry the same cache as Pereira, but there was a line nonetheless!
A short skip and a hop away were the first glimpses of where the magic happens, in the form of the academy building. The walls were decorated with pictures of alumni who have graduated into first-team players.
Inside was a vast array of fitness equipment to enhance and hone, all of which scared the life out of me, in honesty! Operating any one of these would cause an instant hernia. On the walls were inspirational quotes from famous athletes, from Muhammad Ali to Lewis Hamilton to Michael Phelps.
But most importantly, our very own Eamonn Dolan. Seeing his prominent picture brought home what it is that he had such an important role in creating. How proud would he be of this day and everyone that has been brought on by his vision and enthusiasm? Thank you, Eamonn.
We then moved onto the first-team building, which was similar to the academy building but a lot fancier!
A changing room with name tags adorning each space, a couple of pools to plunge into, a mini-hotel for a dozen or more players to disappear to for afternoon naps (well, that’s what I would do!), and an analysis room for the players to marvel at Lewis Wing’s latest strike from 30 yards or more, or similar. So many bikes to warm the muscles, too: it was the epitome of fitness and science coming together. Another ‘oh, this is impressive’ moment.
As we left the area, the sweet smell of food was alluring, as well as much-needed fluids! We spied that co-CEO Joe Jacobson was nearby with a reasonable queue, so we felt duty-bound to speak with him.
What a lovely chap! Not only was he very happy to talk about his role, he was equally asking me questions about how I became a fan and where I came from in Wales, etc. It was another moment when I had a new-found appreciation. It’s just nice to feel appreciated as a fan, again, if we ever were truly before. Certainly not since the days of Sir John Madejski, anyway.
Ben Elliott was also free, so we grabbed a few minutes with him. He was so happy just to be fit and ready to play again. He hopes to get minutes on Tuesday and against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. Chatting with him about half-spaces and seeing his eyes light up a bit was quite something! That was all the interaction that we had with any players and staff, mostly because a pint was in order!
As we sat in the players’ canteen, we took stock of what we’d witnessed. We could now compile everything in our heads that previously we’ve only seen via photos or videos of players signing, training and having rehabilitation, etc. Now it all came together as a package of completeness and appreciation.
Seeing fans of all ages smiling brought other ‘oh, we’re so back’ moments. After the last few seasons when everyone associated with the club had suffered to varying degrees, witnessing everyone with nothing but smiles on their faces cemented that feeling of community and a family vibe. It was quite humbling, if I’m being really honest.
It certainly gave me an appreciation that I couldn’t have had before visiting Bearwood. There’s so much that us normal fans just don’t normally see: what goes into the pitch and grounds maintenance; the catering considerations; the general site administration; and the whole gamut of devices and equipment to measure and keep our players fit, healthy and able to play at the peak of their powers.
There are also so many people that we don’t see who help keep our club ticking over and more. So, to the many staff that wear our badge that go largely unnoticed and everyone that had a hand in organising the event, a special thank you to you all.
If this is the now of Reading FC, then everybody who came to this event is fully onboard for it. The positivity was palpable. We can all sense that our dark days are over. We’re in the hands of people who actually care for the wellbeing of the players, the staff and US, the ordinary fans.
We know, or should do, that the club is still in a long rebuild phase. But Bearwood is one hell of a place for those building blocks to be.
There was an overriding feeling that everyone is welcome, everyone has a place, everyone here is working for one cause: the future of our beloved club. Bearwood is the jewel in our crown and it’s truly the envy of many.
It’s beautiful and it’s ours; we can all rightly be very proud of it.