CINCINNATI — Every child is unique. FC Cincinnati superfan Nick Stephens, 12, is one of a kind.
“He’s just a special guy,” Nick’s aunt Jenny Voet said.
Being one of a kind can be lonely.
“He doesn’t have a lot of friends because he doesn’t want a lot of friends,” Voet said.
School can be tough for Nick.
“I basically just learned, and it was basically regular, but it wasn’t until like October or November when last year rolled around that I started getting hated,” Nick said.
“He kind of marches to the beat of his own drum, and he gets very passionate about things, and when he finds something he loves, he is in it 1,000%,” Voet said.
What Nick loves is FC Cincinnati.
“His world is FC Cincinnati,” Voet said.
FC Cincinnati has become Nick’s outlet, not because he loves soccer, but because he found a passion for tifos. Tifos are the big flags that drape over soccer supporters’ sections. Nick specifically loves the tifos displayed over FC Cincinnati’s supporters’ section, The Bailey.
WATCH: How tifos helped this 11-year-old grow his confidence
“I got obsessed with it along with the supporters’ culture of FC Cincinnati,” Nick said.
Last year, Aunt Jenny took Nick to a tifo painting. That’s where Nick felt a stroke of what supporters' culture really is.
“He looks at me and he’s like, 'It’s the big flag guy!' I was like, 'Yeah, I guess. Yeah, man, that’s me,'” said Graham Rich, who designed the tifo for FC Cincinnati’s “Hell is Real” rivalry match against Columbus this summer.
Rich has designed multiple tifos that have been displayed in The Bailey.
“He just sat next to me and we painted, and that was it,” Rich said.
Rich was 35 when he met, at the time, 11-year-old Nick. But the 24-year age gap meant nothing to these two as they bonded over painting flags for FC Cincinnati.
A connection turned into an invitation. Rich invited Nick to join the iconic Bailey march to the stadium.
“When it’s a game day, especially like a day where I’m going down to Northern Row Brewery, that’s a day I get really hyped for. I wake up with a smile and just count down the hours,” Nick said.
“At the time when I met him, I was going through personal stuff … he just gives off an energy, like a light,” Rich said.
Even when alone, Nick has high energy, but now he knows he’s never alone.
“When the tifo goes over it’s like, ‘There’s my hard work, that’s my hard work! Oh, I painted that side! Oh, I painted that corner!’” Nick said.
“He’s changed a lot. He’s become a lot more comfortable in his own skin. A lot more confident. The teachers have been calling his parents and telling them how much better his grades are,” Voet said.
Graham means everything to Nick.
“Since he introduced me to all of his Bailey friends, I knew that I wasn’t alone and that I was very well-liked,” Nick said.
“It’s a family at this point,” Rich said.
“He’s been bullied in school, and he doesn’t care anymore. He’s got his friends in The Bailey,” Voet said.
“If somebody is expressing interest in something that brings them joy, do everything you can to keep them on that path,” Rich said.
Nick has found his community and has advice for other kids who feel lonely and are still looking for their people.
“Focus on what you love, and make sure that what you love can make you the happiest kid you could be,” Nick said.
With a little bit of love, no kid should feel alone.
