The Football Association (FA) asked Lightning Seeds songwriter Ian Broudie to compose a song for the 1996 UEFA European Football Championship. He composed a melody he felt would make a good football chant, and asked comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel, presenters of the football comedy show "Fantasy Football League", to write the lyrics. Broudie refused the FA's offer to have football players sing on the song, saying he did not want it to be "England-istic" or nationalistic. He said it was more about "being a football fan, which, for 90% of the time, is losing".