He’ll never be forgotten at the club.
Eamonn Dolan passed away two weeks ago after a battle with cancer. The Reading academy director was just 48-years-old. Born in Galway, Dolan moved to London as a child and was the twin brother of Pat Dolan, the former St. Patrick’s Athletic manager. He had worked as academy director at Reading for the past 12 years.
Dolan is credited with helping bring through Shane Long and Kevin Doyle, Steve Sidwell and Wales’ striker Hal Robson-Kanu. He represented the Republic of Ireland at U-21 level five times, but his playing career was cut short aged just 26 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer
Dolan, who was caretaker manager for Reading’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2013, and worked closely with Reading managers such as Brendan Rodgers and Steve Coppell during his tenure, underwent chemotherapy last summer after having surgery to remove a tumour on his bladder, but passed away in June.
Dolan will forever be remembered at Reading, however, as the club are set to rename their stadium’s north stand in his honour.
The club had asked fans for suggestions on renaming the stand in the Madejski stadium, and rather than name it after a former player or manager, they opted to honour the memory of Dolan, ensuring he’ll never be forgotten at the Championship club.
“A little more than a month ago, we asked our supporters for their suggestions on what we should rename the North Stand at Madejski Stadium,” the Reading statement reads.
“Naturally, a wide range of nominations were put forward, including a number of former players and managers – from eras past and present.
“However, the tragic news of Eamonn Dolan’s passing last month sparked an overwhelming and emotional call from our fans to name the North Stand after a man who not only helped Reading Football Club achieve unparalleled success during 12 memorable years at Madejski Stadium, but who has left an indelible legacy which will last long into this club’s future.
“So today, as many mourn the loss of a true Royals legend at Eamonn’s funeral, Reading Football Club stands together to honour him and celebrate all he did for our club…The Eamonn Dolan Stand will officially open on Saturday 6th August 2016 when Reading host Preston North End on the opening day of the brand new season.”
