Winning the Isthmian League North is probably not something Spencer Carmichael-Brown (better known as Spencer Owen or Spencer FC) would’ve thought was possible eight years ago, when the idea of Hashtag United was made into a reality.
From playing in the Wembley Cup against other youtubers, to rising through the non-league pyramid in English football, take a look at the history or Hashtag United.
First, we need to go back to the Inaugural EE Wembley Cup back in 2015. The game was between Spencer FC and Sidemen FC at Wembley Stadium in which Spencer FC triumphed as 5-2 victors.
The iconic YouTube match was the first of its kind, and Spencer took the idea further and created a football team with his brother Seb and a group of friends, initially playing in exhibition matches around the world. Hashtag United played in the Wembley Cup in 2017, beating Tekkers Town (a team full of youtubers) 6-1 in front of over 34,000 fans.
It was after this match when Spencer announced he was taking his club in an exciting direction, and in 2018 they joined the English football pyramid.
Their first game in non-league football was an exciting one, which ended in a 3-2 defeat for ‘The Tags’, but after a four-game stint without a win, they went on to go 15 games unbeaten, including 13 wins and two draws. With only four losses all season, Hashtag gained promotion in their first ever season as a proper football club in 2019.
The following season went unbelievably well for the Tags, until March 2020 when COVID-19 hit. The season was curtailed after 26 games, with Hashtag sitting in second place, only one point off the top.
At the end of what could’ve been another promotion, Hashtag unveiled a brand-new Women’s team, who currently play in the FA National League – Southern Premier League.
When non-league football returned for the 2020/21 season, Hashtag picked up where they left off, with 10 wins in 12 games, and even before the season was halted once again due to the pandemic.
The remainder of the campaign was decided on a ‘points per game’ system brought in by the FA. The system meant Hashtag were once again promoted! This time, the team were promoted to the Isthmian League North Division.
After successful seasons (other than the cancelled season during the pandemic), the 2021-22 season was more of a challenging one for the Tags, as they finished in eighth place.
However, as the size of the club grew, they introduced their youth system along with Hashtag Inclusive, a pan-disability section which brings together people with impairments and health conditions to play together.
Celebrations soon resumed for Hashtag as both the men’s and women’s teams achieved promotion once again in 2023, with the men’s team heading to the Isthmian League – Premier Division.
The sensational rise of Hashtag United in the space of eight years has been eye-catching and has attracted all kinds of football fans along with fans of Spencer FC’s YouTube channel too.
It will be exciting to see where the club goes in years to come.
