Millwall warned about concerning trend at the Den - "It's not quite as fearsome" | OneFootball

FLW's Millwall fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's atmosphere compared to other teams in the division

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Millwall have narrowly missed out on a play-off place in the Championship on multiple occasions in recent years.

Their home stadium, the Den, has proven a very important part of their competitiveness in the division, with the side coming eighth in the table just last season.

The Lions won 12 and lost seven of their 23 home fixtures during the 2024/25 campaign, giving them the 10th best record in the division.

Millwall earned 40 of their 66 points at the Den, highlighting its importance to their ambition to fight for a place in the Premier League.

Of the stadiums in the Championship this year, it is the fourth smallest with a capacity of 20,146, sitting ahead of just QPR, Wrexham and Oxford United.

Millwall’s home atmosphere needs improvement

When asked how he’d rate the club’s home atmosphere, FLW’s Millwall fan pundit Lucas Ball claimed that it’s one of the better ones in the Championship.

However, he believes that it has gotten worse in recent years, and he’s unsure what can be done to improve it as he feels it’s become a general problem within the game itself.

“It’s still probably one of the better ones in the league, but it’s not what it used to be in terms of the atmosphere,” Ball told Football League World.

“I think that’s quite widely regarded across our fanbase that it’s not quite as fearsome a place to come to as it used to be.

“Our home record in recent years kind of speaks to that in spells as well.

“Obviously, this season we haven’t won at home in the league yet.

“I think football’s changed, it has moved on a bit, so that’s natural for most clubs to be honest.

“I guess overall it probably could be improved, but I don’t know how.”

Ball has praised the club for trying to improve the situation at the Den, but is concerned that it’s one area of the sport that is just getting worse: “You find that balance with how football’s gone overall in terms of it is much more subtle and quieter generally at a lot of places.

“To then get that balance back, flipping the right way, I’m not entirely sure how you go about it.

“I think it’s probably the same for most clubs, it could always be better.

“The clubs themselves are trying to improve the whole matchday experience and things like that, they’ve done more and more in the last few years with that side of things, perhaps that helps.

“I think it’s just one of those things unfortunately.”

Millwall have made a mixed start to the new Championship campaign, with Alex Neil’s side earning seven points from a possible 15.

This has left the club sitting 13th in the table, but level on points with 10th place Norwich City.

Next up for the Lions is a game at home against Watford on 22 September in an 8pm kick-off.

One obvious solution to improve Millwall atmosphere

There is one obvious solution that will help, generally, improve the atmosphere across football and that is to lower ticket prices.

While the revenue generated from tickets remains an important part of the business of running a club, getting fans into the ground is equally as important long-term.

The busier a stadium is, the better the atmosphere will be and lowering the prices will help people to afford to go to matches more consistently.