Reading City Football Club is delighted to announce that we will be joining in with the celebrations to commemorate the national Emergency Services Day, otherwise known as 999 Day on Saturday 9th September when we face Virginia Water in the Combined Counties Football League here at the Rivermoor with a very special community event leading up to kick off.

Emergency Services Day, or 999 Day as it’s commonly known is a national day across the UK for people to show their support to the heroic men and women of the NHS and emergency services. The day is supported by HM The King, HRH The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister and First Ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

It aims promotes the work of the emergency services, promote using the emergency services responsibly, educate the public about basic lifesaving skills, and promote the many career and volunteering opportunities available.

Volunteers are an essential part of the emergency services family and they play a core part in keeping Britain safe. 999 volunteer roles include; Special Constables, Retained Firefighters, NHS Community Responders, St John Ambulance, RNLI, Search and Rescue and Coastguard volunteers.

Whilst the action on the pitch starts at 3pm, the gates here at the Rivermoor will open at 12:00pm for our 999 Day Community Event in which supporters will be able to look inside a fire engine*, police vehicles* and ambulance*

*All emergency vehicles are subject to cancellation or a change in arrival at short notice due to emergency incidents

We are also delighted to be joined by partner agencies like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue (BLSAR).

Our Head of Marketing, Communications & Engagement, Ryan Sheehan who organised our 999 Community Event had this to say:

“From the national response to the coronavirus to major incidents locally we’ve not only seen how hard our emergency services and NHS personnel work but the sacrifices they often must make too and we’re therefore very excited to be showcasing our amazing emergency personnel in what is our first ever 999 Community Event here at the Rivermoor.

I’m so proud of the fact that Reading City Football Club has always been a club that has recognised the commitment of those working in frontline services. Following the Coronavirus Pandemic, as a club we quickly decided that we would recognise the heroic efforts of NHS staff by offering them and their families free entry to all games during the 2020/21 Season and 21/22 Season.

This season we’ve gone one step further by working with Blue Light Card to reach countless others who play their part in keeping us safe, healthy and supported when we need it most and equally thank them for all that they do”.

I hope to see as many members of the community as possible come down to the hub of Reading’s Football Community and show their support for our brave emergency services personnel.”

To enjoy both the 999 Day Community Event and the match between the Cityzens and Virginia Water you will need a valid match ticket which can be purchased online, alternatively you can pay on the gate on arrival.

Blue Light Card Holders and their families go free.

Gates will open an hour and a half earlier than normal to give everyone plenty of time to explore the various emergency service vehicles and stands.

Full details can be found at www.readingcityfc.co.uk/club/tickets