Reading's Madejski Stadium renamed Select Car Leasing Stadium

The stadium's former name on seats was seen being covered up a few weeks ago

Reading FC has dropped its stadium's name and renamed it after a sponsor.

The Royals' home will no longer be known as the Madejski Stadium, and instead has been rebranded as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the next ten years.

Fans have reacted with mixed opinions.

The club said the agreement would help it achieve its long-term goals "at a time when financial accountability and self-sustaining revenue generation is more important than ever" in football.

The Championship club is currently under a transfer embargo and has lost £93.1m since 2018.

Select Car Leasing, which also sponsors the club's shirts, is a car and van leasing firm based in Reading.

Since opening in 1998, the 24,161 seat stadium has been named after former Royals chairman Sir John Madejski, after he oversaw the move from Elm Park.

Select Car Leasing currently also sponsors the club's shirts

Chairman of Supporters' Trust At Reading (STAR), Paula Martin, said the trust was aware of the club's finances and it understood the reasoning, despite fans not being consulted about the name change beforehand.

She said: "From the people I have spoken to so far and what I've seen on social media, people understand why its happening, and will just carry on calling it the Mad Stad.

"There is a lot of love for Sir John Madejski for what he did for the club for all those years. If there is any resentment [among fans] for the naming it is because his name is no longer on the stadium."

In Sir John's honour the East Stand will be renamed The Sir John Madejski Stand.

Speaking to BBC Radio Berkshire, one supporter said: "I think its good news, lots of other stadium have had their names taken by sponsorship. We need the money."

But one fan on Twitter wrote: "I think it's a sorry position for football to be in where they have to commercialise everything possible just to stay viable."

Many Premier League and EFL clubs have named their stadiums after sponsors, such as Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium.