| The Den | |
|---|---|
View from the North stand. |
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| Former names | The New Den Senegal Fields The New London Stadium |
| Location | Zampa Road Bermondsey London, England SE16 3LN |
| Built | 1992/93 |
| Opened | 4 August 1993 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction cost | £16 million |
| Capacity | 20,146 |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 68 yards (344 × 223 ft) |
| Tenants | |
| Millwall F.C. (1993-present) | |
The Den (previously called The New Den) is a football stadium and the home of Millwall Football Club.[1] It is situated in South Bermondsey, South East London, almost directly adjacent to the railway line between London Bridge and New Cross Gate, and the SELCHP incinerator. It is under a quarter-of-a-mile away from the original Den. Built on a previous site of housing, a church and the Senegal Fields playing fields, it has an all-seated capacity of 20,146, with the average attendance for the 2010-11 season being 12,438. The Den is the sixth ground that Millwall have occupied since their formation as a football club in the Millwall area of the Isle of Dogs in 1885.
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The Den was the first new all seater stadium to be completed after the Taylor Report on the Hillsborough disaster. It was designed with effective crowd management in mind (given Millwall's crowd problems at the Old Den), with the escape routes being short and direct. After chairman Reg Burr decided that it would not be viable to redevelop The Den as an all-seater stadium, he announced during 1990 that Millwall would be relocating to a new stadium in the Senegal Fields area. Originally, it was planned to have a seating capacity of between 25,000 to 30,000. Millwall however, could not meet the additional cost.[2]
Millwall played their final game on 8 May 1993 at The Den after 83 years, and moved to the new 20,000 all-seater stadium a quarter of a mile away from Cold Blow Lane.
The £16 million Den was opened by John Smith MP (leader of the Labour Party and Opposition at the time) on 4 August 1993 prior to a prestigious friendly against Sporting Lisbon which Sporting won by 2-1[3]. The Den was the first new football stadium constructed for a professional team in London since 1937.
They have experienced mixed fortunes since relocating to The Den. Their first season at the stadium (1993-94) saw them finished third in Division One - their highest finish since relegation from the top flight four years earlier. However, their dreams of Premier League football were ended by a defeat in the playoffs and they were relegated to Division Two in 1996, not winning promotion from that level until 2001.
They came close to reaching the Premier League again in 2002, finishing fourth but once again losing in the playoffs. The Lions reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 2004, and despite a 3-0 defeat by Manchester United they qualified for a European competition for the very first time (although their UEFA Cup campaign was short lived). Relegation from the newly-named Football League Championship (second highest division in England) followed in 2006. They were promoted back to the N-Power Championship, via a 1-0 win against Swindon Town at Wembley in 2010.
On 20 January 2011 the East Stand of The Den was renamed the Dockers Stand, paying tribute to Millwall's earlier history and supporter base of dockers.[4] The South stand is known as the Cold Blow Lane stand, which was a name of the road which led into the old Den. The North stand is for away supporters and the West stand houses Millwall's family enclosure, press box and executive seats.
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In 1994, a boxing match was held at The Den. Local boy Michael Bentt lost his WBO World Heavyweight Championship to Herbie Hide. The fight was Bentt's last after being rushed to the hospital and told he could never fight again, after suffering brain injuries in the loss.[5]
On 1 May 2006, The Den hosted the FA Women's Cup Final between Arsenal L.F.C. and Leeds United L.F.C.. Arsenal Ladies won the Cup 5–0.
Two international matches have been hosted at The Den.
The Den doubles as The Dragons Lair, home ground of Harchester United in the TV series Dream Team. It also appeared in an episode of the ITV show Primeval.
The Base is used on a regular basis by the TV and film industry. It was used to film an episode of The Bill during the home game against Leyton Orient in March 2008 (aired on ITV in June 2008). Sportswear giant Nike filmed their Take It To The Next Level advertistment over a period of three days and nights at The Den, also in March 2008. In 2010, Kit Kat made their own 'Cross your Fingers' advert using clips from Arsenal, West Ham and also Millwall's Den.[6]
The Den hosted the Samaritans Celebrity Soccer Sixes on 18 May 2008. Film and Television stars played at The Den, the first time the event has not been hosted by a Premier League Club. Babyshambles failed to retain the trophy, losing 3-2 to dance act Faithless.[7]
The winners of the women's trophy were Cansei de Ser Sexy. Around 150 celebrities took part including McFly, Tony Hadley, Amy Winehouse and ex-Millwall fan favourite Terry Hurlock to raise money for the charity.[8]
The Den is served by the National Rail station South Bermondsey, which is a five minute walk away from the ground. Away supporters have their own walkway link, which is available to them on match days. If unable to travel by train, it's recommended away supporters travel to the ground by official coach. There are no official car parking facilities for supporters.
The P12[9] bus stops closest to the ground in Ilderton Road, just a two minute walk away. The 21, 53 and 172 buses all stop on the Old Kent Road. A ten minute walk away from the ground.
The closest tube stations to The Den are Surrey Quays[10] (East London line) and New Cross Gate (London Overground), both are a 15 minute walk from the stadium. The Jubilee line station Canada Water is a 20 minute walk away.
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