Millwall FC: The battle to save the beating heart of old Bermondsey

Standard sport visits Millwall to see how the club ‘bring the community together’ and why a council decision could put that all at risk
David Horn/Focus Images Ltd
Giuseppe Muro22 February 2016

SPECIAL REPORT

The dark, menacing clouds that gathered above south-east London on Saturday seemed symbolic of the uncertainty hanging over Millwall.

The League One club fear their future is under threat from the potential sale of land around The Den to property developers.

They were given a stay of execution last week when Lewisham council put on hold a proposal for a compulsory purchase order but Millwall chairman John Berylson has spelt out the consequences of defeat saying it would “threaten the club’s very survival” .

Lewisham council, as part of a regeneration of the area, is considering whether pockets of land leased to Millwall will become privately owned. At stake is the long-term future of a club embedded in its community.

“It is an important time for the club,” said manager Neil Harris after Millwall beat Peterborough 3-0. “We only want what we believe is right. We want to take care of our club and our community.”

The Millwall name evokes certain unhappy memories of English football’s bad old days and their reputation is often tarnished as a result.

The fans’ mantra of “no one likes us, we don’t care” reflects that negative tag but, while some issues remain, the dark profile does not reflect the reality.

Millwall have carried out decades of hard work in the community and they make an invaluable, often overlooked, contribution to a run-down area of SE16 — part of London that is less than three miles from Canary Wharf, the heartbeat of the capital’s financial district.

Take the Millwall Community Trust. Its schemes every year touch around 5,000 people aged between four and 70, and engage all-comers, whether it be on football coaching courses, educational projects or health and inclusion initiatives. The trust helps young offenders, runs a programme to support people with dementia and helps children struggling at school. It transforms lives by providing opportunities that are not available elsewhere.

WHAT THE FANS SAY

Daniel Whitmarsh: “The support base has its rough and ready reputation but the other side of the coin people do not see is that it is incredibly warm-hearted and does a huge amount in the community that often goes unnoticed because of the club’s wider reputation.”

Alex James: “Millwall know how to cater for young and old alike, men and women, families, all types, shapes and sizes. The club are inclusive. They bind the community.”

Laura Day: “Millwall are important to so many people. The club are part of the fabric of the area. Having 10,000 Millwall fans behind the team is like having 20,000 supporters of another club.”

Jonathan Fry: “It is a forgotten part of London in some respects but Millwall are at the heart of it. They are entwined with the area and they would be a miss for the wider Bermondsey area.”

However, the vital role it plays could come under threat if the Labour-led council sells land which contains the Lions Centre, a leisure centre at the heart of the organisation’s work.

The trust has a 14-year lease on the facility but would be forced to relocate and it is unclear whether it would be sustainable in its current form. The battle Millwall face to save the land around their stadium is part of Mayor Boris Johnson’s push to revamp an area of London historically synonymous with the working class and rename it New Bermondsey.

Millwall are behind the regeneration and have submitted plans to build around 400 homes on land they lease. Those plans would allow them to generate revenue they say is vital to safeguarding their financial future.

Property developer Renewal, involved in the New Bermondsey project, pledges to build 2,400 homes, a new sports centre and a new overground station.

A decision on the sale of the land has been delayed. If it goes against them, Millwall fear being forced out. Willow Winston, an artist who lives and works in space that is also under threat from a compulsory purchase order, spelt out what is at stake.

“It is one of the few places in this part of the borough that there is a sense of belonging,” she says. “The crowd are a unifying force. It makes us feel like a village, a community that we belong to. I value the fact we have a club that try to climb the ladder, which is not always easy, and is a community centre as well. It brings people together.”

Millwall’s average attendance this season is around 9,000 but an online petition against the sale of land has been signed by more than 18,000 people.

Nick Hart, of the independent Millwall magazine Cold Blow Lane, says the club, which is surrounded by railway tracks and industrial space, is “an island of tradition in sea that is changing”. He says: “Millwall are the beating heart of old Bermondsey and if they were to be removed it would be a massive loss in community terms.

“Millwall are not one of London’s major clubs but they have individual personality and are a unique club. They represent something of old football and old London. This dispute is an example of how London is changing. We are trying desperately to be part of that, while retaining our identity.”

Two goals from Steve Morison helped Millwall beat Peterborough to remain in the hunt for promotion. Of more concern at present is the uncertainty that exists away from the field that is unsettling the wider community.

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