Looking to understand what is going on at Reading FC? Read this explainer from The Tilehurst End or watch this video from The Telegraph journalist Ji-Min Lee:
If your question is not answered below, please reach out via media@sellbeforewedai.co.uk or via Twitter DM @SellBeforeWeDai
This is a really important distinction for us: while part of the outcome that we are seeking does involve Dai Out, our campaign is ultimately aimed towards seeking a secure and stable future for our club. Identifying new owners who will do right by Reading FC is just as important as getting rid of Dai Yongge, and Sell Before We Dai can play a positive role in that.
Although protests do need to happen, we are running a campaign and, as part of that, we need to find ways of safeguarding the club's future. We are preparing for the worst possible scenarios by contacting experts in their relevant fields. Reaching out to councillors and MPs has also been a part of our strategy.
We should offer a commitment to working constructively with any potential new owners – advice on getting onboard at the club and so on. Identifying new owners who will do right by Reading FC is just as important as getting rid of Dai Yongge, and Sell Before We Dai can play a positive role in that, ideally including the filtering-out of would-be owners who fall short of expectations. Ultimately, we are seeking a secure and stable future for our club.
Any protests must be coordinated appropriately, safe, peaceful, within the confines of the law and done with the approval of the appropriate authorities where required.
We do not want to use the campaign to ask people to boycott matches involving the first team at this time. It is unlikely that this will put much pressure on Dai Yongge to consider his ownership of the club, given the expected low attendances in relation to previous seasons.
Generally commercial deals within the club currently are structured so that Reading FC are not receiving full amounts of income from merchandise or concessions when fans spend money on these, and instead are receiving a percentage. Therefore, any boycott of merchandise/concessions is unlikely to make a material difference to revenue within the club and so we are not proposing this.
We have acquired Asset of Community Value (ACV) status, with the support of Reading Borough Council, for the Select Car Leasing Stadium. This means there are specific requirements that should be adhered to in advance of any sale of the club and restricts the ability for the assets to be used for means other than those of sporting purposes.
Although we think a change in ownership is best for Reading FC's future, success on the pitch is important too. Avoiding relegation to League Two is vital. As supporters, we can play a positive part in that by backing the team. Furthermore, success on the pitch has the potential to make the club more attractive to a new owner.
We are not suggesting fans boycott matches or refund their season tickets, unless that is something they personally wish to do.
A letter to potential investors is being formed and fans have had a chance to suggest what this letter should contain. This will be released very shortly, so those interested in buying the club are aware of what the supporters would want if they did take control of the Royals.
Contact has been made with various bodies, including the English Football League (EFL) and Football Supporters' Association, to try to gain an understanding as to the process of any future potential actions, from both the Sell Before We Dai campaign and Reading FC.
Get in contact via the website if you are willing to offer expertise in your specialised area. We are keen to include as many experts in areas such as corporate law, public relations and accountancy as possible. Even if you don't specialise in a certain area, there's a role for every Reading FC fan to play. Get in contact with your local MPs, spread our message to supporters of other clubs, follow our social media pages and purchase our merchandise! Keep an eye on our socials too, because we may reveal other ways you can get behind the campaign.
We can't make him sell and that’s just a fact. But we will persevere in our campaign and stay with the same message: it's time for him to sell up. The Sell Before We Dai campaign is here to stay. It's now clear that it wouldn't be in the best interests of either Dai Yongge or Reading F to continue this relationship. We will continue to spread that message. We are keen to capture the attention of possible investors.
If realistic enquiries or offers are made, it would be remiss of the owner to dismiss these. Campaigns and protests are done in an attempt to generate change. We can't give up and we won't.
You can write to them. Please highlight our press releases and ask them to check out the website (www.sellbeforewedai.co.uk) and contact us via media@sellbeforewedai.co.uk
There are several possible routes that could lead to our desired outcome of a secure and stable future for our club. We believe the route most likely to be effective is that the owner decides to cut his losses and finds a buyer for the club, but we recognise there are other possible routes that may include fan ownership.
- Website created
- Merchandise created
- Letter to potential investors detailing what many fans want from them written
- Letter to potential investors detailing why they should be involved written
- Manifesto for change written
- Support gained from the local council
- Support gained from key political figures including local MPs and former Prime Minister Theresa May
- First flyers distributed in Caversham, Reading, Bracknell and at the Sutton United (A) pre-season friendly
- Twitter space hosted to gather thoughts from supporters about next steps
- Participated in media interviews with the BBC, ITV and other outlets
- Spoken to supporters of other clubs that have been in turmoil in the past 15 years to find out what the campaign should be doing and how we should protest
- The Select Car Leasing Stadium is now an Asset of Community Value after STAR/SBWD's application was successful
- Potential investors have been spoken to
- Banners created including the 106 and roulette wheel ones and taken to games
- Reading Lights display happening on multiple occasions during the early stages of the SBWD campaign
- Fanzine article for The Other Face of Football written and published
- Peterborough United (H) 'sit in' planned and executed, with flyers being handed out before the game
- Administration contingency plan created and activated following the three-point deduction in September 2023
- Published letter from Reading Borough Council on Stadium land use restrictions
- Letter to the EFL has been written and sent to MPs Matt Rodda and James Sunderland
- A meeting with James Sunderland was conducted, with the MP agreeing to take action on numerous fronts
- Letters published by James Sunderland and Matt Rodda asking the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to consider using Reading FC as a test case for the Independent Regulator, speed up legislation for football regulation and ask the EFL to prevent further points deductions. SBWD pushed particularly hard for the Independent Regulator and points deductions subjects to be brought up in these letters following our meeting with James.
- Bolton Wanderers (H) tennis ball protest planned and successfully executed, with pre-match letter written to players and post-match message spread to reaffirm our commitment to pressuring Dai Yongge to sell
- Burton Albion (H) tennis ball and Black Saturday protest organised and executed
- Portsmouth (H) march executed with more than 1,000 people attending
- STAR, with the help of SBWD, have opened dialogue with the EFL ahead of the club’s potential sale or fall into administration
- Meeting conducted with Reading East MP Matt Rodda and Shadow Sports Minister Steph Peacock on Reading’s situation, with Rodda leading a House of Commons debate on football governance
- Helped the Daily Mail to release an exclusive article about Dai Yongge
- Eastleigh (A) tennis ball protest executed on live TV
- Meeting at Westminster with James Sunderland and Tracey Crouch regarding football governance conducted
- Advertising van stunt executed, with the London tour seeing the Houses of Parliament, Les Ambassadeurs, the EFL office and Dai Yongge’s mansion all visited
- Meeting with CEO Dayong Pang and other senior club officials conducted, allowing us to put across fans’ concerns and send some clear messages, which we hope could positively impact a potential sale
- Whistleblower claims revealed by the campaign, which express real concerns about Dai Yonnge’s intentions
- SBWD campaigners respond to countless media requests after the Port Vale (H) abandonment, along with other Reading fans
- Meeting with the EFL conducted on 16th January to discuss next steps with a sale not on the horizon
- Second Twitter space happens to gather protest ideas from supporters
- Matchday programme piece sent to several local non-league teams. Teams who published our piece include: Ascot United, Basingstoke Town, Marlow.
- Had a piece on the campaign published in the All At Sea fanzine
- Briefing pack sent to Martyn Henderson, who is interim COO for independent regulator for men's elite football, to inform him about the situation at Reading and what we need
- Letter sent to Lucy Frazer MP (Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport) to ask what contingency plans are in place to prevent Reading from being suspended from the Football League if Dai Yongge is disqualified and propose ways to ensure the Independent Regulator for English Football (IRF) has teeth
- Letters sent to parliamentary candidates for the 2024 general election to spread awareness of Reading’s plight and how this issue has a place in politics
- Charlton Athletic (H) protest organised and executed (clown day) - and interviews with the BBC and Sky Sports conducted on the day
- Port Vale (H) protest organised and executed (red card demonstration)
- Video created as part of the ‘back the team’ message
- Helped the club to raise money (along with all other fans) to try and make up for a shortfall in March 2024, before developments regarding the training ground came to light
- Staged a protest at Adams Park after it came to light that Wycombe Wanderers were in the process of purchasing Bearwood Park (the club’s training facility)
- The campaign and other fans were also in close contact with the council and experts regarding the legality of this purchase, before Wycombe’s attempts to buy the training ground were paused
- Made it on to the ITV National News, with Sarah Turner discussing the Football Governance Bill after its introduction
- Forced our way into international news coverage, including in Hong Kong and China, with the help of many Reading supporters
- Released a joint graphic with The 1867 Group (Sheffield Wednesday) and the Shrimps Trust (Morecambe), as we ask who’s next to face ownership issues in the EFL
- Advertising van stunt executed in London before the England v Belgium match, showcasing that football has an ownership problem
- Worked with politicians of various parties to try and strengthen the Football Governance Bill, raising concerns of all football fans ahead of the launch of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR)
- Created a German graphic to spread awareness of Reading’s plight during Euro 2024
- Helped to raise awareness of the women’s team’s plight
- Started a Reading Lights campaign to urge Dai Yongge to sell the club after exclusivity talks ended in June 2024
- Met with Labour MP Liv Bailey in August 2024 to discuss Reading FC and football governance
- Participated in a FanHub documentary about the club's struggles
- Conducted a third X space to gather protest ideas from fans
- Executed a second red card protest during the Huddersfield Town (H) game, with Sky Sports being briefed on our situation before the match
- Made contact with local MPs in October 2024, briefing them on our plans and requesting assistance on a few matters
- Amplified one of our campaigner’s petitions (Ban football ownership from nations with limited financial transparency and / or political financial restrictions)
- Set ourselves up on four Chinese social media platforms, with the help of a volunteer