A chant celebrating Peter Crouch’s towering height has been voted the nation’s funniest football chant, with World Cup favourites Sweet Caroline and “Vindaloo” following closely behind. Newer terrace favourites are also proving a hit, with chants like “Rice Rice Baby” and tongue-in-cheek tributes to Harry Maguire keeping fans laughing.
The top list of chants in order:
He’s tall, he’s red, his feet stick out the bed, Peter Crouch! – Peter Crouch
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
Vinadloo – Fat Les
Rice, Rice Baby – Declan Rice
Harry Maguire, he drinks the vodka, he drinks the jaeger, his head is **** massive! – Harry Maguire
Southgate you’re the one, you still turn us on, football’s coming home again – Gareth Southgate
Bowen’s on fire and he’s **** Dani Dyer – Jarrod Bowen
Walking in a Shearer wonderland – Alan Shearer
Jordan Pickford’s got tiny arms – Jordan Pickford
Jamie Vardy’s having a party – Jamie Vardy
The chant culture isn’t confined to the stands either, with half of fans admitting they’ve belted out football songs in both the pub and the stadium (52%), while a further 30% have joined in at family gatherings. From parties (21%) and holidays (16%) to work (10%), public transport (9%) and even weddings (4%), the data shows football fever can strike almost anywhere.
But when it comes to bringing that same energy home, the nation is split – with 36% saying they sing along often or very often while watching from the sofa, while an equal 36% admit they rarely or never join in, suggesting the full matchday atmosphere is still hard to replicate outside the pub or stadium.
The research comes ahead of Stonegate Group’s ‘Roar of the Nation’ challenge – in partnership with Heineken, who will also be running competitions through Stonegate’s loyalty app MixR – taking place across venues in England and Scotland, including The Minories in London, The Moot Hall Arms in Leeds and the Akenside Traders in Newcastle.
The initiative encourages fans to cheer as loudly as they can during England’s summer fixtures, with pubs competing live against venues across the country to be crowned the home of the loudest and most passionate supporters.
Speaking about the findings, Kay Bartlett, Chief Marketing Officer at Stonegate Group said: “Our Roar of the Nation campaign is up and running, and I’m sure many of the nation’s favourite chants will be playing a role in creating the amazing atmospheres we’ve experienced across our pubs so far during the tournament. The Minories in London is leading the way so far, registering an incredible 133.9 decibels for Marcus Rashford’s goal against Croatia.”
Craig Woolley, Marketing Activation Director at HEINEKEN UK, added: “A packed pub on matchday is about as close as you can get to being in the stadium – sometimes it’s even louder! From the first chant to the final whistle, pubs give fans that unbeatable sense of togetherness, and we can’t wait to hear which venue raises the roof the loudest.”
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