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The Den (stadium)
Encyclopedia
The Den was the fifth football
stadium occupied by Millwall F.C.
in Cold Blow Lane, New Cross
, London
since their formation in Millwall
on the Isle of Dogs
in 1885 before moving to The New Den
, in May 1993. The ground opened in 1910 and was the home of Millwall for 83 years. It boasted a record attendance of 48,672 (v Derby County
in 1937). The Den was adjacent to New Cross Stadium
, a large athletics stadium which later hosted Greyhound racing
and Motorcycle speedway
as well as being used by Millwall for training, as Millwall were lacking a training pitch of their own at the time.
in 1910. They had previously occupied four separate grounds on the Isle Of Dogs
in the 25 years since their formation as a football club. Tom Thorne, the director in charge, had sought the help of architect Archibald Leitch
and builders Humphries of Knightsbridge
. The estimated cost of The Den was £10,000. The first match was on Saturday 22 October 1910 against Brighton & Hove Albion
, the Southern League
Champions who spoiled the celebrations by winning 0-1. The price of the official Match Programme was one penny. Unfortunately, the opening ceremony also suffered a slight hitch when it was discovered that Lord Kinnaird
had inadvertently gone to the Canterbury (Ilderton) Road end. He had to be unceremoniously hauled, pushed, and pulled over the wall into the ground. After rushing to the other end (Cold Blow Lane) the President of The FA performed a brief opening ritual and led the players onto the pitch. Before kick off, a brass lion inscribed (in Gaelic
) "We Will Never Turn Our Backs To The Enemy", was presented to the club. Many supporters from the East End of London
continued to (and many still do) follow The Lions after their move south of the River Thames
by walking through the Greenwich foot tunnel
and the Rotherhithe Tunnel
to join the supporters, which is drawn mainly from the Surrey Docks.
Millwall's first Football League
match at The Den was on August 28, 1920. They beat Bristol Rovers
2-0. This victory over Rovers was the Lions' seventh successive win against them since moving to The Den. The game was played in the Football League Division 3 South of which Millwall were founder members. In this year, Millwall scored 83 goals at The Den. This is still a Football League record.
Being in close proximity to the Surrey Commercial Docks
, The Den sustained severe bomb damage during The Blitz
and a German
bomb hit the North Terrace on 19 April 1943. On 26 April, a fire destroyed the Main Stand. The club accepted offers from neighbours Charlton Athletic
, Crystal Palace
and West Ham United
to stage games. On 24 February 1944 Millwall returned to The Den, to play in an all-standing stadium. This was achieved, in part, with considerable volunteer labour by the Lions fans.
After the war, rationing in Great Britain
continued and Millwall were refused permission by the Ministry of Works to construct a new two tier stand, despite having procured all the materials. They had to wait until 1948, when permission was granted to build a smaller single tier stand two thirds the length of the pitch, with a forecourt terrace at the front. Archibald Leitch
's "trademark gables" were never replaced.
On October 5, 1953, Millwall played Manchester United to mark the opening of their Floodlights
. A crowd of 25,000 saw The Lions beat The Red Devils 2 - 1.
Millwall established a record of 59 home games without defeat at The Den from: 22 August 1964 to 14 January 1967. This was thanks largely to managers Billy Gray, who laid the foundations, and Benny Fenton
, a former player who continued to build on Gray's side and also partly due to the ferocious noise generated by The Lions' fans. All the players were presented with a commemorative gold
cigarette lighter by the Football Association
.
The Den hosted a full England
international match against Wales on March 13, 1911. England won the game 3-0. The Den also hosted an England B international, with England beating Yugoslavia B 2-1 on 12 December 1989. Millwall's first and last Football League games at The Den were played against Bristol Rovers
- the final game being at the end of the 1992-93
Division One
campaign.
By the late 1970s, The Den had fallen into disrepair and there was proposals to build a "Super-Den" on the existing sites of The Den and the adjacent New Cross Stadium, with an anticipated all-seater capacity between 25,000 and 30,000. However, the club could not raise sufficient funds to pay for the ambitious project and it eventually fell through, proving very unpopular with the Lions fans, culminating in mass demonstrations against Chairman Reg Burr.
In November 1985, the club's chief executive Tony Shaw spoke of his belief that the club may be forced to move to a new stadium and possibly even change its name in a desperate attempt to tackle the club's growing reputation for football hooliganism
. Relocation would ultimately take place in less than a decade from then, although the club's name remains unchanged a quarter of a century later.
The stadium hosted First Division football from 1988 to 1990, but within a year of Millwall's relegation it was confirmed that the club would be relocated to a new 25,000-seat stadium at Senegal Fields.
The sale of the stadium to Fairview Homes was completed on 11 December 1991 at a cost of £6.5million, although Millwall would play there for nearly 18 months afterwards.
Relocation finally took place to The New Den
, with a capacity of just over 20,000, in August 1993. The demolition of the stadium taking place that autumn.
There had been plans for the old Den to be converted into an all-seater stadium, but these were abandoned in favour of relocation - partly because the new stadium was situated in a more spacious location and also allowed for the development of a sports centre for public use. http://www.footballgroundguide.com/millwall/
The site is now occupied by new houses and flats however the site and surrounding area are now known to locals as "Little Millwall" and Millwall fans still make the trip by foot from New Cross Gate station
through the area to the all-seater New Den in Bermondsey
.
" for home fans to show their appreciation of good football displayed by the opposition. The Millwall fans however, would quite literally "roar" for their team only, from start to finish. This strongly partisan support was soon to be regarded by the team as "a goal start
." The Den became one of the most feared grounds in the country. No team liked to play there because the crowd and the place itself created such an intimidating atmosphere. The Lions fans were tough, uncompromising, quick to speak their mind and offer advice to the team and officials. The Den was considered one of the most hostile grounds in the whole of Britain for visiting teams and was closed a record 5 times by the Football Association.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium occupied by Millwall F.C.
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in Cold Blow Lane, New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since their formation in Millwall
Millwall
Millwall is an area in London, on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the south of the developments at West India Docks, including Canary Wharf.-History:...
on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
in 1885 before moving to The New Den
The New Den
The Den , is a football stadium and the home of Millwall FC. It is situated in South Bermondsey, South East London, almost directly adjacent to the railway line between London Bridge and New Cross Gate, plus the SELCHP incinerator. It is under a quarter of a mile away from original Den...
, in May 1993. The ground opened in 1910 and was the home of Millwall for 83 years. It boasted a record attendance of 48,672 (v Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in 1937). The Den was adjacent to New Cross Stadium
New Cross Stadium
New Cross Stadium, Hornshay Street, Old Kent Road , in South East London was opened in the early 1900s as an athletic stadium but was mainly used for greyhound racing and speedway. The ground was adjacent to The Den, the then home of Millwall F.C. and was used as a training ground by the club when...
, a large athletics stadium which later hosted Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
and Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
as well as being used by Millwall for training, as Millwall were lacking a training pitch of their own at the time.
History
Millwall moved to The Den from North GreenwichNorth Greenwich
North Greenwich is a 19th century name for the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was named for the now defunct North Greenwich railway station , that served a former passenger ferry to Greenwich and stood near the later Island Gardens and...
in 1910. They had previously occupied four separate grounds on the Isle Of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
in the 25 years since their formation as a football club. Tom Thorne, the director in charge, had sought the help of architect Archibald Leitch
Archibald Leitch
Archibald "Offside Archie" Leitch was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadia throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Early work:...
and builders Humphries of Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. The estimated cost of The Den was £10,000. The first match was on Saturday 22 October 1910 against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
Champions who spoiled the celebrations by winning 0-1. The price of the official Match Programme was one penny. Unfortunately, the opening ceremony also suffered a slight hitch when it was discovered that Lord Kinnaird
Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird
Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird KT was a principal of The Football Association and a leading footballer....
had inadvertently gone to the Canterbury (Ilderton) Road end. He had to be unceremoniously hauled, pushed, and pulled over the wall into the ground. After rushing to the other end (Cold Blow Lane) the President of The FA performed a brief opening ritual and led the players onto the pitch. Before kick off, a brass lion inscribed (in Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
) "We Will Never Turn Our Backs To The Enemy", was presented to the club. Many supporters from the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
continued to (and many still do) follow The Lions after their move south of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
by walking through the Greenwich foot tunnel
Greenwich foot tunnel
The Greenwich foot tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich in the south with the Isle of Dogs to the north...
and the Rotherhithe Tunnel
Rotherhithe Tunnel
The Rotherhithe Tunnel is a road tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London. It connects the Ratcliff district of Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets north of the river to Rotherhithe in the London Borough of Southwark south of the river. It is designated as the A101...
to join the supporters, which is drawn mainly from the Surrey Docks.
Millwall's first Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
match at The Den was on August 28, 1920. They beat Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
2-0. This victory over Rovers was the Lions' seventh successive win against them since moving to The Den. The game was played in the Football League Division 3 South of which Millwall were founder members. In this year, Millwall scored 83 goals at The Den. This is still a Football League record.
Being in close proximity to the Surrey Commercial Docks
Surrey Commercial Docks
The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe on the south bank of the Thames in South East London. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969...
, The Den sustained severe bomb damage during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
and a German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
bomb hit the North Terrace on 19 April 1943. On 26 April, a fire destroyed the Main Stand. The club accepted offers from neighbours Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
to stage games. On 24 February 1944 Millwall returned to The Den, to play in an all-standing stadium. This was achieved, in part, with considerable volunteer labour by the Lions fans.
After the war, rationing in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
continued and Millwall were refused permission by the Ministry of Works to construct a new two tier stand, despite having procured all the materials. They had to wait until 1948, when permission was granted to build a smaller single tier stand two thirds the length of the pitch, with a forecourt terrace at the front. Archibald Leitch
Archibald Leitch
Archibald "Offside Archie" Leitch was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadia throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Early work:...
's "trademark gables" were never replaced.
On October 5, 1953, Millwall played Manchester United to mark the opening of their Floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
. A crowd of 25,000 saw The Lions beat The Red Devils 2 - 1.
Millwall established a record of 59 home games without defeat at The Den from: 22 August 1964 to 14 January 1967. This was thanks largely to managers Billy Gray, who laid the foundations, and Benny Fenton
Benny Fenton
Benjamin Robert Vincent Fenton was an English professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Fenton signed for Colchester Town in 1934, moving to West Ham United a year later...
, a former player who continued to build on Gray's side and also partly due to the ferocious noise generated by The Lions' fans. All the players were presented with a commemorative gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
cigarette lighter by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
.
The Den hosted a full England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international match against Wales on March 13, 1911. England won the game 3-0. The Den also hosted an England B international, with England beating Yugoslavia B 2-1 on 12 December 1989. Millwall's first and last Football League games at The Den were played against Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
- the final game being at the end of the 1992-93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
campaign.
By the late 1970s, The Den had fallen into disrepair and there was proposals to build a "Super-Den" on the existing sites of The Den and the adjacent New Cross Stadium, with an anticipated all-seater capacity between 25,000 and 30,000. However, the club could not raise sufficient funds to pay for the ambitious project and it eventually fell through, proving very unpopular with the Lions fans, culminating in mass demonstrations against Chairman Reg Burr.
In November 1985, the club's chief executive Tony Shaw spoke of his belief that the club may be forced to move to a new stadium and possibly even change its name in a desperate attempt to tackle the club's growing reputation for football hooliganism
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
. Relocation would ultimately take place in less than a decade from then, although the club's name remains unchanged a quarter of a century later.
The stadium hosted First Division football from 1988 to 1990, but within a year of Millwall's relegation it was confirmed that the club would be relocated to a new 25,000-seat stadium at Senegal Fields.
The sale of the stadium to Fairview Homes was completed on 11 December 1991 at a cost of £6.5million, although Millwall would play there for nearly 18 months afterwards.
Relocation finally took place to The New Den
The New Den
The Den , is a football stadium and the home of Millwall FC. It is situated in South Bermondsey, South East London, almost directly adjacent to the railway line between London Bridge and New Cross Gate, plus the SELCHP incinerator. It is under a quarter of a mile away from original Den...
, with a capacity of just over 20,000, in August 1993. The demolition of the stadium taking place that autumn.
There had been plans for the old Den to be converted into an all-seater stadium, but these were abandoned in favour of relocation - partly because the new stadium was situated in a more spacious location and also allowed for the development of a sports centre for public use. http://www.footballgroundguide.com/millwall/
The site is now occupied by new houses and flats however the site and surrounding area are now known to locals as "Little Millwall" and Millwall fans still make the trip by foot from New Cross Gate station
New Cross Gate station
New Cross Gate station is a railway station in New Cross, London, on the Brighton Main Line. It is about 600 metres west of station. It is in Travelcard Zone 2, on the East London Line. The station is operated by London Overground.-History:...
through the area to the all-seater New Den in Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
.
The Millwall Roar
It was at The Den that the famous Millwall Roar was born. During the early part of the 20th century, it was considered "good formEtiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
" for home fans to show their appreciation of good football displayed by the opposition. The Millwall fans however, would quite literally "roar" for their team only, from start to finish. This strongly partisan support was soon to be regarded by the team as "a goal start
12th Man (football)
The 12th man or 12th player is a term used to describe the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games. This term has a different meaning in cricket, referring to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured...
." The Den became one of the most feared grounds in the country. No team liked to play there because the crowd and the place itself created such an intimidating atmosphere. The Lions fans were tough, uncompromising, quick to speak their mind and offer advice to the team and officials. The Den was considered one of the most hostile grounds in the whole of Britain for visiting teams and was closed a record 5 times by the Football Association.
Quotes
- "The away-team dressing room is like a dungeon, no light, no window. The bathrooms are horrible. Then you get out there to face them, The Lions. And they just come storming at you and most sides just jack it in. When you have been there a little time though, you grow to love it. It's one of our biggest assets." Eamon DunphyEamon DunphyEamon Martin Dunphy is an Irish media personality, radio and television presenter, author, sports pundit, as well as a former professional football player. He is best known as a soccer analyst on Raidió Teilifís Éireann 's coverage of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. He was paid...
- "Teams just didn't like coming to play here, which is one of the reasons we were unbeaten for so long. The crowd really used to intimidate the opposition. I remember marking Frannie LeeFrancis LeeFrancis Henry Lee is a former professional footballer, who played in the 1960s and 1970s, including 27 appearances for the England national team. Lee played for Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, and Derby County...
when he was playing for BoltonBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, and after a few minutes he said to me, 'Ain't you popular with the crowd.' I said 'Yeah, but if you don't come into my half you'll be alright!' He didn't really come near me for the whole game after that!" Harry CrippsHarry CrippsHarry Cripps, was an English professional footballer who played for South East London side Millwall for the majority of his career, becoming a cult figure in the process....
- "I remember running on to the pitch at The Den when I was a youngster with LeicesterLeicester City F.C.Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in the fifth round of the FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. The place resembled a huge trap, and the venom that hit us from the Millwall fans was unbelievable. I remember thinking to myself, maybe it would be a good idea not to score at this place!" Gary LinekerGary LinekerGary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
- "The most memorable goal I ever scored at The Den was a tap-in from point blank range - the fans would have hung me if I'd missed it! What made it so special was that it was our first ever Division One [home] game, and it gave us our first ever [home] win in the top flight - I'm deadly from that sort of range!" Teddy SheringhamTeddy SheringhamEdward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
- "I know a lot of Millwall supporters will be choked about leaving The Den, but you've got to move with the times and I think the new ground they've built down the road looks superb. I think all of us lament the move to all seater stadiums, but you can't stand still in this business. If you do that, you're dead." George GrahamGeorge Graham (footballer)George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...