What Millwall FC have said about big change coming to The Den later in 2025 | OneFootball

Millwall have confirmed that they will introduce safe standing to The Den later this year.

Millwall have confirmed that they will introduce safe standing to The Den during the 2025/26 season.

After a rule change in the 90s, football clubs in the top two divisions would have to make their stadiums all-seater within a certain timeframe.

However, safe standing has been very popular in Europe, with German football particularly known for the atmosphere that was created, which, in part, was down to the introduction of rail seating.

Millwall set to introduce safe standing later this year

Gradually, that has become more common over here, with Celtic the first club in the UK to use rail seating, with Shrewsbury the first in England, and Wolves making the change before any other Premier League club.

Plenty more have brought in rail seating, and Millwall announced on their official site that they will be doing so as well.

The update explained that 1,086 seats in the North Stand Upper will have the rail seating, along with 1,007 in the Dockers Upper. And, they confirmed that the installation will begin during the October international break.

The rail seating means each fan still has a seat, but there is a rail in front which ensures the safety of those in attendance when they are standing.

The club also added that ticket prices are not impacted by this decision, with the capacity at The Den also remaining the same.

Managing Director, Mark Fairbrother, commented via the club: "Safe Standing is something we have been considering for some time, and our fans who travel to away matches will see it being installed across the country.

"Given the nature of The Den - and following extensive consultation with relevant safety authorities, we are looking to phase this installation into areas where fans predominately stand already.

"We have had some very good conversations with supporters as part of this and would like to thank to MSC for their engagement with the club as part of this process. We understand that Safe Standing may not be for everyone, and we will do our utmost to accommodate supporters in other areas of the ground should they wish.

"Likewise, with only limited areas being phased in during the coming season, should fans wish to relocate to these areas, we will try to accommodate as many as we can."​​​​​​​

Millwall are right to enhance the matchday experience for fans

As mentioned, this is nothing new, as clubs up and down the country have this in place, but Millwall deserve credit for listening to the fans and implementing this.

Some will say that it doesn’t make a difference, and the reality is that many fans do stand up anyway, but it’s right that the club are ensuring they follow the necessary safety rules.

The Den has a notoriously loud atmosphere, and even if this only helps a little bit, it’s good for the players, and it’s something that could potentially spread further across the two stands down the line.

On the pitch, Alex Neil is building an exciting project with the Lions, and they are making progress, which is why the boss was rewarded with a new contract earlier this month.

So, they head into the new season in good spirits, and Neil will know the passionate fan base at Millwall have a role to play if they are to make a serious push for the play-offs.