Millwall has applied to raise The Den's licensed capacity from 14,999 to 19,999, open bars from 9am on match days and add indoor sport. Comments close 9 November.

Millwall Football Club has applied to Lewisham Council to raise the capacity on The Den’s premises licence from 14,999 to 19,999. The same application asks to sell alcohol from 9am, add indoor sporting events and keep the ground open later on Friday and Saturday nights.

The application is a full variation of the stadium’s existing premises licence. It appears on the council’s register of current licensing applications, which gives Monday 9 November 2026 as the last date for comments.

What the club is asking for

The register lists these changes:

  • raise the premises capacity from 14,999 to 19,999
  • start alcohol sales earlier, from 9am
  • add indoor sporting events as a licensed activity
  • extend hours for regulated entertainment and late-night refreshment on Friday and Saturday nights
  • change when the club shop can sell alcohol to take away
  • submit updated plans of the stadium, its bars and the outside space
  • remove or amend conditions the club calls “conflicting or outdated”

The register does not explain the capacity figure. It does not say whether the 19,999 relates to football crowds or to other events at the ground.

Earlier drinks on match days

The club gives its reason for the earlier start in the application’s own words. It wants to “accommodate early match start times as our fans tend to arrive at the stadium early. By offering on sales earlier on match days, we can ensure attendees are catered for within the stadium.”

It also wants the later finishing times for alcohol to cover “all bars within and the suites within the stadium”.

On the club shop, the application includes a limit: “No alcohol sales from Club Shop on a match day until the match has finished.”

Late nights and indoor sport

The club says it is “looking to extend its permitted hours and activities on a Friday & Saturday to accommodate potential events booked at the club”. It does not name any events.

The hours on the register are set out below. The windows read as extra time added to the current licence, but the register does not reprint the current licence in full.

Activity Hours listed on the register
Alcohol on the premises 9am to 11am Monday to Friday; 9am to 10.30am Saturday and Sunday; 12.30am to 1am Friday and Saturday
Alcohol from the club shop 9am to 9.30am, every day
Plays, films, boxing or wrestling, music, dance 12.30am to 1am Friday and Saturday
Indoor sporting events (new) 9am to 12.30am Monday to Thursday; 9am to 1am Friday and Saturday; 9am to 10.30pm Sunday
Late-night refreshment 12.30am to 1am Monday to Saturday

The opening hours of the premises would change as follows:

Now Applied for
Monday to Thursday 7am to 12.30am 7am to 1am
Friday and Saturday 7am to 12.30am 7am to 2am
Sunday 7am to 10.30pm 7am to 11pm

What it means for you

Anyone can comment on the application, for or against, until 9 November. That includes people living on the streets around the ground in South Bermondsey and New Cross.

  • Email licensing@lewisham.gov.uk, or write to the Licensing Authority, 4th Floor, Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, SE6 4RU.
  • Include your full name and full postal address. The council says a representation without them is invalid.
  • Comments have to relate to the licensing objectives: crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance and protecting children from harm.
  • The full application can be seen at Laurence House by appointment, or requested from the same email address.

If valid objections come in and are not resolved, the application goes to a licensing sub-committee hearing. If none are made, the council grants it as applied for. We will report the outcome.

The register does not name who signed the application for the club. For getting to and parking near the ground, see our parking in Lewisham and trains and travel pages.

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