Millwall FC

What I know about football you could barely fill a postcard with, and in a way I think sometimes when you go into a project that can be a good thing, as it allows you to see as if you are seeing for the first time; a child like curiosity. This was an assignment that came through from Playboy Germany. Having previously shot a story on white collar boxing in London for them (see here), they got in touch to see if I could work with the writer Reinhard Keck to produce a story on one of the UK’s most notorious football clubs, Millwall FC. Hailing from a working class part of south London, Bermondsey, the club is famous for their motto ‘Nobody likes us, we don’t care’. Playing at ‘The Den’ the team has a loyal following of fans that are sometimes seen, perhaps unfairly as being quite prone to antisocial behaviour.

One of these fans, Roy Larner (pictured below in the pub pre-match), became famous back in 2017 when he tackled some of the London Bridge attackers, exclaiming ‘Fuck you I’m Millwall’  before being set upon with machetes. He very nearly didn’t survive, but his bravery meant that other people in the area had time to escape.

My initial fears of going to one of south London’s most notorious football clubs were allayed when we dipped into the local pub, the Stanley Arms. It turns out that approaching burly tattooed men and asking them if they would like to appear in ‘Playboy’ is quite the conversation starter. Tag onto that an antique camera (my Rolleicord) and a heavily accented German writer and you really become a bit of a spectacle. Yet we were both welcomed with open arms and I got to understand a little bit more about the camaraderie and connection that people find in football. I shot the following story in a day – I would love to have gone back to do some more.