Millwall Football Club can now provide an official update regarding London City’s fixture at The Den, following close consultation with senior members of the Millwall Lionesses, Millwall Supporters’ Club and Fan Advisory Board.
First and foremost, the club acknowledges that more thorough consultation should have taken place with all three parties earlier in this process and sincerely apologises for the upset this caused.
The club is fully aware of the history between the Millwall Lionesses and London City and understands the strength of feeling attached to it.
When London City were promoted to the WSL in May 2025, Millwall agreed to allow The Den to serve as a back-up venue to London City’s main home ground, Hayes Lane, Bromley, in case of a fixture clash or an emergency. As Bromley have a Sky Bet League Two home fixture on Saturday 21st March, and Chelsea are scheduled to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Tuesday 24th March, London City’s WSL fixture against Chelsea will take place at The Den on the Saturday. The club acknowledges it should have discussed this decision with the appropriate parties at that time.
The club understands the feelings that this decision has reignited and following our discussions, we have agreed that as an immediate commitment, all net revenue generated by the club from this fixture will be reinvested back into Millwall Lionesses.
While there are currently no plans for further collaboration with London City beyond the backup ground agreement, the club is clear that Millwall Lionesses, the Fan Advisory Board and Millwall Supporters’ Club will be at the heart of any future decisions.
Over the past week, the club has held constructive meetings with the Fan Advisory Board, Millwall Supporters’ Club, Lionesses manager, Ted Jones and captain, Jordan Butler, and we thank them all for their time and honest feedback. The discussions between all groups have been beneficial in shaping a vision and working group for future, sustainable success of The Lionesses, in line with the team’s ambition to compete at the highest level.
Millwall Football Club and Millwall Community Trust remain committed to supporting Millwall Lionesses and working closely together to build a sustainable future for its staff, current and upcoming players, and supporters. We recognise and proudly support the work both on and off the pitch that The Lionesses do across our community.
The club’s commitments to Millwall Lionesses are as follows:
In addition to all net revenue generated by the club from the London City fixture being reinvested back into Millwall Lionesses, and the pre-agreed fixture hosted at The Den every May, the stadium will also host Millwall Lionesses' upcoming fixture against Sutton United on Sunday 29th March.
Looking ahead to next season, the club will host a Millwall Lionesses League fixture at The Den in each international break during the 2026/27 campaign. The club will further support Millwall Lionesses fixtures with enhanced media and marketing promotion, utilising its extensive CRM database and social media platforms, and also exploring ways in which club staff can provide assistance for the team ahead of matchdays.
The club is proud to have sourced multiple sponsorship deals for Millwall Lionesses this season, and is actively discussing further partnerships which will directly benefit Millwall Lionesses and its academy teams.
Finally, a formal working group has also been established between the club, Millwall Community Trust and Millwall Lionesses. This group will ensure improved communication, structured dialogue and a clear framework to further drive the team’s success, including supporting the development pathway for players and creating greater opportunities for young girls in our community to progress within the game.
Millwall Lionesses captain, Jordan Butler said: “As captain of Millwall Lionesses, on behalf of the players, I welcome the Club’s statement and the acknowledgement that greater consultation should have taken place earlier in the process. I would also like to thank the club for its willingness to recognise this and for the commitment shown towards improving communication and strengthening future plans for Millwall Lionesses.
"The pride and passion surrounding Millwall Lionesses comes from the history of this team and the commitment shown daily by our players, staff and supporters. Over the past week, we have held constructive discussions with the club, ensuring the players’ voices have been heard and helping to establish clearer communication moving forward. I would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank the Millwall Supporters’ Club for their support throughout this process.
"We look forward to continuing to work closely with the club as we move ahead together. Our squad remains proud to represent this badge. The players continue to give their time, energy and make personal sacrifices purely for the love of the club, and we remain focused on progressing together and building a strong, sustainable future for Millwall Lionesses, returning this great club to where it belongs.
"We would love to see that continued support at our upcoming fixture on 29th March at The Den, where it would mean a great deal to the players to have the Millwall community behind us.”
Millwall Supporters Club Chair, Steve Turner said: The Millwall Supporters’ Club welcomes the agreement reached and commitments made by the club of both immediate and long-term support for our Lionesses.
"We were proud to join the Lionesses in discussions with the club and to have extended our long term solidarity with the team into securing a solid plan for their future. We share the pride and passion displayed by the Lionesses both on and off the pitch and welcome the clubs acknowledgement that they were wrong not to have put them centre stage in their thoughts from the start of this process.
From this however, came an opportunity and we will work with our Lionesses and the club to ensure that the full potential of it is met.
Fan Advisory Board Chair, Stuart Hill said: “We welcome the Club's statement, and we’re pleased to work with the club, the Millwall Supporters’ Club and Millwall Lionesses to find a solution for all.
"The FAB sees this as a positive step for the future of Millwall Lionesses and the wider Millwall community - a chance to look forward, not back. It shows what can be achieved through open, respectful collaboration, and that spirit will be vital as we move forward together.”
Millwall Football Club would like to thank supporters for their continued passion, patience and honest feedback. The club remains fully committed to working together with all to protect the identity, heritage and future growth of Millwall Lionesses.
