How A Social Media Influencer Built A Professional Soccer Club
Is it true a soccer club that competes in the English seventh tier has more followers than one in the Premier League? That is true, as seventh-tier outfit Hashtag United currently has more followers than Luton Town and Brentford, two clubs who compete in the best league in the world.
The Tags were founded by YouTuber Spencer Owen in 2016, who runs the YouTube channel Spencer FC. Originally, Hashtag was no more than a couple of buddies playing exhibition matches against other recreational league teams, like Comedians XI and the staff from Manchester City.
However, it soon became clear the potential of the project. Spencer Owen had created a recipe for success: a team backed by the entire fanbase of soccer YouTube. By the end of its first year in existence, Hashtag United already had over 100,000 followers on Instagram and YouTube.
The main focus of Hashtag United was content creation, competing in events such as The EE Wembley Cup, a tournament created by Spencer Owen himself. However, everything changed in 2018. Then Chelsea captain and Spanish international Cesar Azpilicueta invested in Hashtag United and became a part-owner.
Ahead of the 2018–19 season, the Tags would enroll in the English Football League system, the professional setup for soccer in the UK. Owen would step down as manager, appointing Jay Devereaux instead, an experienced non-league gaffer.
They would begin their journey in the Eastern Counties League, the 10th tier of the EFL. They would win promotion in their very first season, finding themselves in the Essex Senior League next. However, the 2019–20 season was abandoned due to COVID, preventing Hashtag from getting promoted again.
The 2020–21 season was called off about halfway through the year once again, but the league promoted Hashtag United due to their accumulated points per game record. Henceforth, the Tags found themselves in the Isthmian League North Division, the eighth tier of the EFL. They would remain there that season, as they finished 8th.
It was a different story in 2022–23. Hashtag would steamroll the Isthmian League North, earning promotion to the Isthmian League, the seventh tier of the EFL. Having hit a run of bad form, they currently find themselves in 10th place, having lost their last five games.
How did Hashtag accumulate such a following just by competing in lower-league soccer? While the answer to that question isn’t so simple.
There aren’t hordes and hordes of people queuing up to watch seventh-tier clubs duke it out. Despite this, Spencer Owen found a way to exponentially grow Hashtag’s following and status. Owen streams all the games on Hashtag United’s YouTube channel, and thousands of people queue up to watch the games live, with millions more watching the highlights.
Hashtag United also recruited some big names, such as semi-professional footballer Toby Aromolaran, who has a massive internet following due to his presence on hit TV shows like Love Island.
They’ve also made relatively deep runs into the FA Cup, England’s premier soccer tournament. One of their games was even nationally televised on BBC, only bringing more attention to the club. This past summer, however, Hashtag made arguably their biggest coup yet.
The Tags went and signed England youth international Ted Curd on loan from Chelsea. Curd, a 17-year-old goalkeeper, is one of the highest-rated young goalkeepers in the Premier League, and Hashtag United managed to negotiate with Chelsea to send him to them temporarily.
Safe to say, the shot-stopper was as advertised for the Tags. Curd played 16 games in the yellow and blue, recording four clean sheets and making some incredible saves, one of which has been labeled the best in Hashtag history.
The youngster was so good Chelsea recalled him from his loan, seeking to send him to a team in a higher league, to get him a better experience. If Curd does one day find himself between the posts for Chelsea in the Premier League, Hashtag United will have contributed to the career of a Premier League goalkeeper.
Hashtag United is the epitome of how drastic an impact social media can have on sports. Spencer Owen, who began making FIFA videos in 2007, has now built a social media empire with Hashtag United. From signing reality TV stars to contributing to professional careers, the Tags have made moves no other club in their position has ever made. Spencer Owen built a club from the ground up, a club that has captured the souls of so many worldwide, he has built Hashtag United, YouTube’s premier team.
