Reading Football Club were the first football club to register their own fans as an official member of their squad, in recognition of the fact that the supporters in the stadium on a match day can sometimes influence the match just as much as a player on the pitch.
The idea came from supporter Andy Manson in the summer of 2001 when the number 13 was left vacant by then boss Alan Pardew after the departure of Keith Scott. Since then the "player" has been registered with squad number 13, named Reading Fans.
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