After winning a coveted place in the Premier League, Reading Football Club has been firmly put on the sporting map. With an impressive stadium and a loyal fan base, the town is backing their team to continue on the road to success.
To celebrate the move into the top-flight, the club decided to give their back room areas at their regal Madejski Stadium a facelift. They turned to well-respected, interior surface specialist, Altro, for guidance on new floors.
Ray Booth, Stadium Manager at Reading FC, said: "With our rise to the Premier League, we wanted to enhance the environment at Madejski Stadium - we are already known for our fantastic stadium but we wanted to improve the facilities for the players and that included bringing the flooring in the changing rooms and tunnel up to date.
"With the players and coaching staff treading in plenty of rain and mud throughout the season, we needed a floor that would not only look good but would also be able to cope with that amount of wear and tear."
After consultation with Altro, the inventors of safety flooring, Reading FC have kitted out the home and away changing rooms, physiotherapy room, tunnel and shower rooms with coverings from Altro's vast product range.
In the home and away changing rooms, physiotherapy room and tunnel, Altro Maxis provides underfoot safety with easy clean and stain resistance technology. Specifically developed for high traffic areas, such as corridors, Maxis delivers on cleanability, colour retention and lower life cycle costs. Independent testing also proves that Altro Maxis outperforms its competitors and provides savings on maintenance.
The tunnel now also proudly boasts a Reading FC logo within the Walkway range, to inspire the home team as they take to the pitch. The colourful logo was hand cut by installers Caversham Flooring Company.
The shower rooms have been given a new lease of life, using Altro Marine, the company's popular bare foot safety flooring for use in wet areas. Marine is part of Altro's 'second-generation' floor coverings, which boast clean, crisp colour, with no sparkle or dark flecks running through the 2mm-thick covering, typical of other traditional safety flooring products on the market.
Altro Walkway has been installed in the Sales Centre queuing hall. This safety flooring combines the latest in design with practicality, offering excellent slip resistance and durability in equal measures. It also benefits from Altro Easyclean Technology making it easy to clean, ensuring the floor stays looking at its best for longer.
Nicholas Tong, Managing Director at Caversham Flooring Company, said: "When Reading FC invited me in to take a look at the project I was keen to get Altro involved. Their products are by far the best on the market and their technical back-up and after sales service is second to none.
"The icing on the cake for me was installing the Reading FC logo at the mouth of the tunnel, formed from the Walkway range. The end result looks superb throughout, and it's a pleasing thought that for years to come the flooring will serve them well."