Hello all, Millwall fan here. I have found this thread very interesting.
First off, can I just say I have never watched a Rugby League game in my life - until last night. This interest was sparked by Wigan Warriors coming to The Den. So, in a sense that's a small victory of sorts, especially as I enjoyed the game. I detest Union, I think it's slow and lacking in skill (and that's from a former PE teacher), however, RL seemed exciting and skillful & cannot understand why it's not far more popular than the tedious Union code.
However, I do agree it's going to be hard to get Londoners off their backsides to investigate and discover what I discovered by watching Wigan at The Den. But, small steps and all that.
As for the venue choice, again I do have sympathy for the dissenting voices...but I think you need more context.
People suggesting QPR as a better choice - having been many times to Loftus Road all I can say is the parking is horrendous, the leg room is poor, and views are limited in certain parts of the stadium, and the corporate hospitality is average.
Oh, and White City is hardly the genteel west London of Fulham. So, it doesn't even best The Den on that. Furthermore, id imagine (albeit with my tiny knowledge of RL) the pitch would be too small.
Whereas The Den, despite Millwall FCs reputation, has excellent corporate facilities and is in fact used regularly by companies to host events. You can see Canary Wharf from the Kitchener Stand and the club is always featured in the Wharf newspaper, and so is well known in the City & is given a much more sympathetic press than in the tabloids. What I'm saying is Millwall aren't quite the bogeymen to these City types as they are to provincials whose only knowledge of the club comes from the tabloid press.
Indeed, The Den is the ground of choice for pretty much every football related advert on tv, and so again doesn't hold this mysterious Jack the Ripper fear amongst the media executives that is does for Mark from Skipton.
It also hosts a lot of charity events, included the celebrity football matches etc, and had hosted international games for African sides and the Women's FA Cup final - all of which attracted healthy crowds (Women's FA Cup circa 13,000).
Conversely, these events were attended by a mix of locals and people from across the southeast. This because The Den is very easy to get to. South Bermondsey overground sits literally on top of the ground (you can see inside the ground from the platform) and there's a walkway from the station to the North Stand, a 2 minute walk. The station is one stop from London Bridge and is a 4 minute journey, with extremely regular trains.
Furthermore, Bermondsey, Surrey Quays and Canada Water tube stations are all within walking distance - I can do the walk in 12 minutes odd, but am 35, relatively fit & walk briskly.
Moreover, while there are some very deprived and dangerous areas in Southwark & Lewisham, these are actually quite avoidable. In fact, Bermondsey in the day, especially towards the river, is quite trendy these days, although there are also nice old fashioned London boozers around too...i know a few places were you can get a pint for about £3.90...very cheap in inner city London!
Although id imagine for outsiders the best bet is to drink around London Bridge - more expensive, but lots of choice all close together and welcoming to tourists. But you can still get some decent ales etc in traditional pubs, if the likes of All Bar One aren't your thing. Then hop on train & be in your seat within 10 minutes easy.
Also, the area is very underrated - these north Londoners make me laugh. Southwark is home to the Globe Theatre, the Tate, Madame Tussauds, London Dungeon, the Southbank, London Eye...and a bit further down you have Greenwich and all that has to offer. Sorry if we don't have as many hipster coffee shops though!
And if you're keen on markets then Southwark has some of the best in Europe!
Whether it's a success or not for Wigan or RL in general, who knows...but those that do go should be able to have an enjoyable time.
Weighing it all up & defending your chairman there are far more pros for using The Den than cons. Our reputation is bad...but, if you live down here you'd know people aren't quite as dubious about us they once were...and okay they may not go to a Millwall v Leeds game, but I know lots of people whove gone along to one of the charity football games to watch idiots from Blue etc without a care in the world about our rep, including 13 year old girls from Kent etc..