Championship side Millwall have officially announced a new agreement with Lewisham council for a 999-year lease of their home stadium. This is set to provide a huge boost to the South London side’s future security at the Den.
In an official club announcement, the side have put an end to standing worries about the club’s home ground. This is after years of uncertainty in the wake of a potential Compulsory purchase order (CPO) being leveraged over the club.
Millwall’s owner James Berylson has stated that this is a ‘defining moment’ for the club he inherited after the unfortunate passing of his father in 2023. He hopes that this agreement should provide his team with ‘the stability and certainty every club needs to build for the long term’.
This 999-year lease coincides with the club’s strongest season since the turn of the 1980s. Millwall fans will therefore remain hopeful this stability offers a huge boost to club morale.
To provide further context, this has been announced after almost a decade of threats to the club. In 2016, it was stated that Lewisham council intended to take all land surrounding the Den to use for regeneration.
The council discussed the potential chance of enforcing a CPO. This would leave Millwall with nothing except for just access to the ground.
This was greatly opposed by Lions fans. A petition to prevent this was signed by over 27,000 supporters, believing that the club should remain at the heart of the community.
The club was placed in such a position they were even considering relocating outside the borough of Lewisham. The team had played there since 1910, which shows the sides clear connection with the area.
The new 999-year lease therefore shows the council’s commitment to the club. With the clubs current trajectory, it should hopefully prove very positive for the London borough.
Architecture designs have been released for planned renovations to The Den. The aforementioned CPO made talk of improving the stadium rather futile for a long time. The security now of the new lease allows these talks to fully develop.
The proposed redevelopment is set to see a phased capacity increase to somewhere in the region of 34,000. This will also improve player accommodation and improved media facilities.
This ground is intended to provide the club with a Premier league ready stadium, which they may need sooner than expected. With the side currently situated in the Championship play-offs, this ground may be required sooner rather than later.
