If you've attended one of the first two home matches this season, you might have noticed a new song played in the lead up to kickoff.
During the past offseason, members of several of the club's supporters groups approached the front office about incorporating anthem to be sung pregame at every FC Cincinnati home match. Think of traditional songs such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" which is famously sung at Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund matches, or "Forever Blowing Bubbles" at West Ham.
But instead of picking a song already sung by other clubs or a more generic pump-up anthem, our supporters wanted something that better represented our club and the city of Cincinnati.
So what did they settle on?
Many are familiar with the song "Welcome Home", written and performed by Cincinnati-based Over the Rhine for a Cincinnati Bell commercial during halftime a few years ago. The supporters first approached the band to see if they might be willing to have their song sung at matches. OTR enthusiastically agreed, and with their approval in hand, approached the club about using the anthem pre-match during the 2018 season.
Over The Rhine even went as far as to record a new rendition of the song specifically for FCC home matches, and it is this version that you'll hear sung at Nippert this weekend.
The lyrics for the song can be found below, as well as in the video at the top of this article, on the ribbon board at the stadium while the song is being played, and in the matchday information leaflets handed out inside the gates at each match.
So tomorrow at Nippert, be sure to join us in singing "Welcome Home" to show your pride for your city and club.
Welcome Home
©2017 Bergquist/Detweiler
My roots grow by the river
They are deeper than the sea
My people and this city
They hold and anchor me
Where we sing Hello, Ohio
Meet me there and you will see
When I call Cincinnati
Welcome Home, she answers me
Welcome Home
Welcome Home
Oh Cincinnati, Ohio
My roots grow by the river
They are deeper than the sea
My people and this city
They hold and anchor me
