Why do football fans sing Sweet Caroline?
England fans belted out a joyous rendition after the teams stunning 2-1 win against Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-final  and youre likely to hear it in the stands tonight also as they face Italy in their first major international football final in 55 years. Even manager Gareth Southgate has said that you cant beat hearing it. Heres the history behind it. Its not entirely clear what prompted England fans to belt out Sweet Caroline in the stands at Wembley at the Germany game. Other than the fact its a catchy song  and its quite stirring when sung by thousands in a crowd. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video  The lyrics good times never felt so good were certainly fitting for Englands history-making win, too. But the songs been used by fans of Birmingham football club Aston Villa since 2019. A clip of the team themselves enthusiastically singing along appeared on Twitter in May that year. According to sports site Football Predictions, Aston Villas use of the song dates back to that February, and a game against Stoke City. It was played on the speakers by Britannia Stadium, and shortly after, Villa went on to win 12 games in a row. Interestingly, its not just football fans, or even exclusively UK sports fans, who sing Sweet Caroline. Youll hear the song being sung at England cricket matches, as well as boxing matches, too. Its also very possible that weve slowly adopted the song as a sports anthem from across the pond. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video  In Boston, US, the Red Sox baseball team play Sweet Caroline at every game these days, a trend dating back to 1997. Legend has it that a Boston baby named Caroline was born that year to a member of staff at the teams famous Fenway Park stadium. And Amy Tobey, an employee who controlled the music played over Fenway Parks speakers, decided to play the song in honour of the birth. It slowly became a hit with fans, and in 2002, they began to play the song more often to lift the spirits of fans during tough moments  and its remained on a regular rotation since. Even on the worst day from a baseball standpoint, the crowd still sang.  Perhaps England footie fans simply wanted to mix it up a bit, after years of singing the tune Three Lions (Footballs Coming Home). 25 years after its release, Three Lions is still the most-played football anthem in the UK. Possibly time for a change! England v Italy kicks off on Sunday at 8pm on ITV. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram  Share your views in the comments below