Hashtag United

Hashtag United Football Club is a unique semi-professional football club based in Pitsea, Essex, England. The club was founded in 2016 by YouTube personality Spencer Owen, also known as Spencer FC, with the initial aim of creating content for his YouTube channel. The club's name, Hashtag United, reflects its digital origin and its strong connection to the world of social media.

Hashtag United started as a group of friends playing exhibition matches against various teams, including Google, Microsoft, and even the England national team staff. The matches, which were filmed and uploaded on YouTube, quickly gained popularity, attracting millions of viewers worldwide. The club's innovative approach to football, combining traditional sport with digital media, has revolutionized the way football clubs are perceived and operated.

In 2018, Hashtag United made a significant step forward by joining the English football league system. The club was accepted into the Eastern Counties League Division One South, a level 10 league in the English football pyramid. In their debut season, they impressively won the league and earned promotion to the Essex Senior League, a level 9 league.

The club's home ground is the Len Salmon Stadium, which they share with Bowers & Pitsea FC. Despite being a relatively new club, Hashtag United has managed to build a loyal fan base, both online and offline. Their YouTube channel has over 500,000 subscribers, and their matches often attract a considerable number of spectators.

Hashtag United's squad consists of a mix of semi-professional players, former professionals, and talented amateurs. The club's philosophy is to provide opportunities for players who have been overlooked by the traditional football system. This approach has proven successful, with several players having moved on to higher levels of football.

Off the pitch, Hashtag United is also making waves. The club's innovative use of social media and digital content has attracted significant attention from the football world. They have partnerships with major brands like Adidas and Football Manager, and they have been featured in mainstream media outlets like BBC, Sky Sports, and The Guardian.

In a short period, Hashtag United has gone from a group of friends playing football for fun to a semi-professional club competing in the English football league system. Their unique approach to football, combining sport with digital media, has not only attracted a global fan base but also challenged the traditional model of football clubs. Despite their rapid rise, the club remains committed to its core values of inclusivity, opportunity, and innovation.