Want the long version?

Well, let’s go back a few years to those first few meetings: some girls and boys gathering in the basements and back rooms of local bars. We initially met through the internet, friends, and acquaintances. We came from various neighborhoods, out in the suburbs, and even Europe. In the heart of the Queen City, we hatched a plan. Die Innenstadt was born.

Maybe this writing will seem dated in 2021, but bear with me for a minute as I paint a picture:

It’s a beautiful day, probably a bit muggy and warm. You’re in the the city’s uptown, the Corryville neighborhood to be exact. There’s this bar you walk into: a historic watering hole, one who’s atmosphere and setup were initially brought over with German immigrants. You walk into the biergarten, onto the patio beneath the vines, and are greeted with a crowd decked out in two primary colors. Red will always be a favorite in this town and tiger stripes have their days, but in this place—it’s all orange and blue. The crowd is diverse, it’s a place where everyone is welcome regardless of their level of sporting knowledge or local fandom. Acquaintances catch up, new friends are made, and liters of local beer are slammed into each other with the call of “prost!” When the time comes, the crowd migrates to the streets. Smoke bombs spew those aforementioned colors, flares are struck, flags wave, the chanting begins and what will eventually be a one mile march begins. On the way, we sing the songs of our city, tip our caps to the neighborhood firehouse, and salute the locals on porches who come out to watch and cheer with us. Near the stadium, the crowd surges and takes over the street as we join other groups in unified stride and song. There’s a brief rally, the venture into the stadium, and then the match. The whole time: we stand with our fellow fans, our team, and the Genius of Water. When it’s all said and done, the crowd may dissipate and the day may be drawing to a close, but that bar is still there and it’s still filled with newfound friends toasting and celebrating a day well spent. People who found each other through their city and soccer club.

Cheering a team is fun, watching soccer is wonderful, but Die Innenstadt is about truly supporting our city. It’s not just the home fixtures described above or the away days when scarfs are worn on long drives, in the seats of buses, and in airport terminals. We strive to give back just as much as we strive to make tifo and two-poles.

So now, step in to the neighborhood bar where we meet for away fixtures. Where the bartenders don’t just serve you drinks, they greet you like family. Every sip you take out of that glass isn’t simply for revery, it’s price gives a little something back to the local high school soccer team that needs equipment, the one coached by the bar’s owner. Because we believe in and partner with those who know that all of this can be about more than just enjoying athleticism and competition. That’s why you’ll find us raising funds, collecting donations, partnering with neighborhood organizations, cleaning up the river, and organizing many ways for our members to be involved with charity throughout the year. We support our club, we love our city.

Cincinnati has worked tirelessly to redefine itself to both the outside world and interior critics over the past two decades. Soccer elevated the city in ways that were both surprising and expected. We seek to create a unique match-day experience while using this unifying opportunity to help out where we can. This was our goal from the onset, this will be our goal going forward. We were born in the heart of the city, where a groundswell of new vision took root and began pushing our home to see true potential and a better future. Just as that outlook spread across the region, so have our members.

We come from all over.

We welcome all.

And we march for Cincinnati.