Millwall

That the club was founded by workers at a factory in the Isle of Dogs area sets the tone for all of Millwall’s utterly unglamorous story. The specific area was called Millwall, and they kept the name even after bouncing around to a few grounds and eventually leaving for New Cross. That was The Old Den, a truly intimidating and feared place they inhabited from 1910 until 1993. Such was the atmosphere in the 1960s that Millwall set the then-league record with 59 home games unbeaten—keeping 35 clean sheets and only conceding 33 goals during that run.

Meanwhile, the Lions have been promoted 11 times and relegated 10 times, mostly between the second and third tiers. They have only been in the top flight for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990. They got into financial trouble when they hit the third tier in the mid-1990s and have not made it back to the top level since. They’ve also never won a major trophy. In the last six seasons, they have finished between 8th and 13th in the Championship and last year made the 5th Round of the FA Cup after winning away to Leeds United, then lost to local rivals Crystal Palace.

There are movies and books all about this, especially the rivalry with West Ham United both on and off the pitch. Obviously hooliganism was, back in the ’70s and ’80s, a widespread problem, but for some reason Millwall’s reputation has never shaken it. Perhaps that’s because it has held on a bit; in one famous episode, the Lions made the 2013 FA Cup semifinals, which they lost. The game was marred by a fair number of Millwall fans fighting each other in the stands. Not a big deal, but it just had to be Millwall.

These days the games at Millwall are perfectly safe, but it’s remarkable the change one sees in a single train stop from London Bridge. And developers have noticed: Millwall has been under threat for some time now to lose its ground because that part of London is prime for infill and gentrification. That there are thousands of people screaming and cursing in a drab stadium surrounded by an industrial neighborhood amounts to a giant, and for us welcome, middle finger from the world of proper football to the forces of “progress.”

One other story has to be told here. During a 2017 terrorist attack at London Bridge, three knife-wielding men ran into a restaurant and started screaming and attacking people. One man, who said later he’d had “four or five pints—nothing major,” stood up, yelled, “Fuck you—I’m Millwall,” and went right at them with his bare fists. He was stabbed multiple times but gave dozens of people the chance to escape before the terrorists took off with the dude chasing them down the street. Everybody agreed: if you’re in a fight, you’ll take a Millwall guy.

2024–25 SEASON: 8th in the Championship, 5th Round FA Cup, 2nd Round League Cup

2025–26 SEASON: The Championship (promoted in 2017)

Any London club is less than welcome, with particular venom reserved for Crystal Palace and Charlton, both also from south of the river. But there’s a special level of hatred for West Ham United. This goes back to the East End days at the end of the 19th century, when the clubs were formed by dockworkers at rival companies. There was a mini riot and pitch invasion at this match as recently as 2009. Millwall also dislikes Leeds United quite a bit (the feeling is mutual), which is mainly about hooliganism from the bad old days that actually flared up once or twice in the last ten years.

The Millwall Lionesses were founded in 1971 and in the 1980s became the first women’s team to be associated with a professional men’s club. But in 2019, they announced a split with Millwall FC and changed their name to London City Lionesses. That club just won the second-tier FA Women’s Championship so are in the Women’s Super League for this season. Check londoncitylionesses.com for the latest on them. Meanwhile, Millwall FC started a new women’s team-they claim it’s the same team, although the league certificate went with the London City Lionesses-which play in the fifth-tier London and Southeast Regional Women’s League. Home games are at the St Paul’s Sports Ground in Rotherhithe. See millwall-lionesses.com for more on them.

There are two traditional songs at the beginning of games. One is the last part of “Hey Jude,” with “Millwall” replacing “Hey Jude.” The other is a classic, country-and-western sing-along called “Let ’Em Come” that was written specifically for the club. It has great lyrics about eating jellied eels and drinking glasses of beer. At the end everybody holds up their arms and belts out “Let ’em all…come down…to The Den!” If they win, you’ll hear “Rockin’ All Over the World” after the game.

But the defining song of Millwall is one of the great, goofy songs in all of football:

No one likes us, no one likes us!

No one likes us, we don’t care.

We are Millwall, super Millwall.

We are Millwall, from The Den.

The Den holds 20,146 in four separate stands. One is the Dockers Stand, which is named for dockworkers, not a clothing brand. The Cold Blow Lane Stand behind a goal honors the location of The Old Den. The North Stand behind the other goal is for visiting supporters, and the Barry Kitchener Stand is named for the club’s longest-serving player. The best place to sit is on either side close to the away fans.

TOURS: Behind-the-scenes tours of The Den cost £15 for adults.

GETTING THERE: The quickest way is to take the train from London Bridge to South Bermondsey. It’s about a 5-minute walk from there. However, for more food and drink options, take the Overground to Surrey Quays or the Underground to Canada Water. Or go nuts and take the London river bus to Greenland, which is at Surrey Quays.

PUBS: The “official” Millwall pub is called the Blue Anchor; it’s on Southwark Park Road, to the right from South Bermondsey station about 15 minutes. Right across from the Surrey Quays station is the Surrey Docks, a Wetherspoon outlet with an outdoor seating area. It will be packed, often with away fans, as will the smaller and more old-school Whelan’s Free House nearby. Over by New Cross station, the Five Bells has been a traditional Millwall place for years.

GRUB: We recommend the Surrey Quays station for a simple reason: one of the better fish and chips places we have found in London is near there. It’s called Express Fish Bar and will be mobbed before the game. It’s essentially all takeaway, so just munch it up on your way to The Den.

There is also the Millwall Café at the stadium serving decent food in a fun atmosphere.

AROUND THE GROUND: These aren’t really around The Den, rather London Bridge, but Borough Market is fantastic. Plenty of amazing food in there. And if you want to pay £30 and up to visit the top of The Shard with a million other people, it’s near London Bridge. We think it’s worth it, once.

My Night in The Den: <BR>Seeing a Game at Millwall FC

I stepped off the train, onto the platform, and into what I assumed would be the usual London-area train station: people coming and going, lively street down below, if I’m lucky a coffee shop on the platform. This is particularly...

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