Hashtag United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Essex, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at Parkside, Aveley.
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| Full name | Hashtag United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tags, Hashtag | ||
| Founded | March 2016 | ||
| Ground | Parkside, Aveley | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 (424 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Spencer Carmichael-Brown[2] | ||
| Manager | Jay Devereux | ||
| League | Isthmian League Premier Division | ||
| 2023–24 | Isthmian League Premier Division, 13th of 22 | ||
| Website | https://hashtagunited.co.uk | ||
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History
editHashtag United Football Club was formed in March 2016 by Spencer Carmichael-Brown, a football YouTuber better known as Spencer FC or Spencer Owen.[3] Carmichael-Brown had begun making YouTube videos in 2007 as a student at the University of Reading, and the team initially consisted of friends from school and university.[4]
From their foundation, the team primarily played five, seven, and eleven-a-side exhibition matches, which were filmed and uploaded to their YouTube channel. By September 2016, the team's Instagram account had over 100,000 followers, their Twitter account 41,000, and a 'penalty challenge' video uploaded to YouTube had accumulated over two million views. Hashtag United played various teams including a Comedians XI whom they beat 19–1, Google, the GB Deaf Team, Barawa, and a Manchester City staff team, with opponents fielding former professional footballers such as Paul Dickov, Graeme Le Saux and Ray Parlour, and celebrities including Omid Djalili. At one point in 2016, the club was rumoured to be interested in signing professional footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa.[4] In 2017, the club won the EE Wembley Cup, a competition that Carmichael-Brown had created in 2015.[5] The team included Scott Pollock, winner of the Hashtag Academy competition in 2017, who went on to sign professional terms with Northampton Town.[6]
In early 2018 Chelsea captain and Spanish international César Azpilicueta invested in the club and became a co-owner. Ahead of the 2018–19 season, the club joined the English football league system, initially being placed in Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League, before being moved to the Eastern Counties League after appealing that it was more suited to their Essex roots.[7] After joining the pyramid, Carmichael-Brown stepped down as manager and was replaced by former East Thurrock United assistant manager Jay Devereux. Their first competitive match was a 3–2 away loss to Little Oakley on 4 August 2018.[8] The club's first league season saw them reach the semi-finals of Division One Knock-Out Cup.[9] They went on to win the Division One South title, earning promotion to the Essex Senior League.[10] The 2019–20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the club second in the league, a point behind league leaders Saffron Walden Town and with three matches in hand. After the 2020–21 season was also curtailed due to the pandemic, at which point Hashtag United were top of the league, the club was promoted to the North Division of the Isthmian League based on the points per game accumulated over the two abandoned seasons.[11][12] During their two seasons in the Essex Senior League, the club won 96 points from 38 games.[13]
In 2022–23 Hashtag won 21 league matches in a row,[14] going on to win the North Division title and earning promotion to the Isthmian League's Premier Division.
Season-by-season record
edit| Season | League | Level | Position | FA Cup | FA Vase / FA Trophy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Eastern Counties League Division One South | 10 | 1/19 | – | – | Promoted |
| 2019–20 | Essex Senior League | 9 | – | – | Second qualifying round | Season abandoned |
| 2020–21 | Essex Senior League | 9 | – | Second qualifying round | Second round | Season curtailed, promoted |
| 2021–22 | Isthmian League North Division | 8 | 8/20 | Preliminary round | First qualifying round | |
| 2022–23 | Isthmian League North Division | 8 | 1/20 | First qualifying round | First qualifying round | Promoted |
| 2023–24 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 7 | 13/22 | Second qualifying round | Third qualifying round | Finalists in the Isthmian League Cup |
Other teams
editThe club currently operates a reserve and development men's side, as well as a number of development men's and women's youth teams.[15][16] The youth section of the club was merged with Forest Glade for the start of the 2020–21 season.[17][18]
In April 2020 the club announced that they would have a women's team, Hashtag United Women, from the start of the 2020–21 season as a result of a merger with AFC Basildon.[19][20] The women's team plays in the FA Women's National League, the third tier, and won the Essex County Cup in 2022 defeating Billericay Town 2–1 in the final.[21] The Women's team won promotion to Tier 3 after a successful 2022-23 campaign and on 23 March 2024 they clinched their 3rd trophy in as many years by winning the FA Women's National League Cup Final vs Newcastle United, winning 2–1 in front of a record crowd of 3,719 fans at Kenilworth Road, home of Luton Town FC. The club also has one of the most successful eSports teams in the history of eFootball with many titles to their name. Their players have also won the ePremier League on two occasions.[22]
Colours and badge
editHashtag United's colours are yellow and blue.[2] The club's first kit was a yellow shirt, with blue sleeves, shorts and yellow socks. In January 2017, the club signed a kit deal with Umbro until the end of 2018. This saw the club's colours changed to blue, with yellow streaks down the side of the shorts. The first away kit was purple and black, a homage to the original Hashtag FC 5-a-side kit which pre-dated the club's official inception. The club also released a neon yellow and pink 3rd/goalkeeper strip with that was influenced by the infamous Jorge Campos Umbro shirts of the 1990s. The club's first shirt sponsor was EE.[23] From 2017 to 2018, the shirt sponsor was online game Top Eleven.[24] The online gambling company 188 Bet were briefly the sleeve sponsor of the club. Ahead of the 2018–19 season, the club signed a new kit deal with Adidas, which saw the club's home shirt returned to the traditional yellow and blue they had originally worn.[25] The away kit for this season was blue and white, as Hashtag continued to change their away strip colours every season. Ahead of the 2021–22 season, the club signed a new five–year kit deal with Hummel.[26] This saw the kit's colours reversed again to be a blue shirt with yellow sleeves, blue shorts, and yellow socks. The away kit was predominantly white and black, featuring a blue lightning bolt design. The sponsor of the men's shirts was initially kept a mystery, with the shirts instead featuring a QR code that could be scanned to find clues about the upcoming sponsor. The sponsor was then revealed to be the upcoming free to play football simulator UFL. The women's team were sponsored by food chain TGI Fridays.[27] For the following season, the away kit was a bold salmon pink design featuring a noughts and crosses inspired pattern. After the 2022–23 season, the club announced their kits would be manufactured by Adidas again, as a result of not receiving any kit sales revenue from Hummel's exclusive brand partner in the UK at the time, Elite Sports Group, which had entered into administration.[28][29][30] During the 2023–24 season, Canna was announced as the new shirt sponsor for the women's team. For this season the away kit was claret, light blue and white, in a reference to the club that the founders grew up supporting, West Ham United FC, following their Europa Conference League win.[31]
The club's badge is yellow and blue, with the club's name emblazoned on the horizontal lines of a hashtag symbol.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Umbro | EE |
| 2017–2018 | Top Eleven Football Manager | |
| 2018–2021 | Adidas | Football Manager |
| 2021–2023 | Hummel | UFL / TGI Fridays (Women's) |
| 2023– | Adidas | |
| UFL / Canna (Women's) |
Stadium
editAfter joining the Eastern Counties League, the club began playing at the Coles Park Stadium, groundsharing with Haringey Borough.[32] In April 2019, following promotion to the Essex Senior League, Hashtag United announced that the club would move to Tilbury's Chadfields for the 2019–20 season.[33] In March 2020 the club stated that they would move to the Len Salmon Stadium, home of Bowers & Pitsea, for the 2020–21 season.[34] Since the merger, the women's team played at Canvey Island's Park Lane ground; but in April 2022, it was announced that the Women's team would move to Aveley's Parkside Ground from the 2022–23 season.[35] In February 2024 it was announced that the men's team would be joining the women's at Parkside from the start of the 2024–25 season.[36]
Current squad
editMen's team
edit- As of 8 August 2024[37]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Women's team
edit- As of 22 November 2024[38]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
edit| Position | Name[39][40] |
|---|---|
| Owner, Founder, CEO & Co-Chairman | Spencer Carmichael-Brown |
| Co-Chairman | Steve Carmichael-Brown |
| Co-Chairman | Derrick Pearson |
| Commercial Director & Co-Founder | Seb Carmichael-Brown |
| Chief Financial Officer & Co-Founder | Alexandra Osipczak |
| Media/Operations Director | Neil Smythe |
| Men's First Team Manager | Jay Devereux |
| Men's Assistant Manager | Joe Keith |
| Men's Goalkeeping Coach | Ben Sewell |
| Men's Reserve Team Manager | Billy Cove |
| Men's Reserve Team Assistant Manager | Paul Prosser |
| Men's Development Team Manager | Denis Simpson |
| Men's U18s EJA Team Manager | Cain Brougham |
| Women's First Team Manager | Jason Stephens |
| Women's Assistant Manager | Craig Davidson |
| Women's Coach | Wayne Rothon |
| Women's Goalkeeper Coach | Andy Cade-Watts |
| Women's Reserve Team Manager | Marc Wilson |
| Women's Reserve Team Assistant Manager | Jack Costin |
| Women's Ambassador | Siobhan Chamberlain |
| Physiotherapists | Tyler Overton and Alan Richards |
| Kitman | Mikey Rumin |
| Director of Youth Football | Mark Skipp |
Honours
editMen's
edit- Isthmian League
- Division One North champions 2022–23
- Eastern Counties League
- Division One South champions 2018–19
- EE Wembley Cup
- Winners 2017
Women's
edit- FA Women's National League
- Division One South East champions 2022–23
- League Cup winners 2023–24
- Essex Women's Cup
- Winners 2021–22, 2023–24
Full international players
editHashtag United players who have represented their country while contracted to the club.
Somalia - Sak Hassan (2023–2024)
Records
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Parklife for Millers", Groundtastic, Autumn 2017, issue 90, pp46–49
- ^ a b Hashtag United Eastern Counties League
- ^ Fisher, Ben (23 January 2019). "Scott Pollock's EFL move is Hashtag United's next step into real world". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ a b Bysouth, Alex (6 September 2016). "Hashtag United & the YouTube generation: Football's future?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ EE scales up Wembley Cup experience to reach new audiences Campaign, 27 February 2019
- ^ Scott Pollock: Ex-Hashtag United player swaps season ticket for spot in Northampton side BBC Sport, 21 January 2019
- ^ Hashtag United: YouTube team can 'bring new fans' to non-league game BBC Sport, 1 June 2018
- ^ Hashtag United have conquered YouTube and non-league is next: behind the scenes of a phenomenon FourFourTwo, 16 November 2018
- ^ First Division Knock Out Cup 2018/19 FA Full Time
- ^ Hashtag United: YouTube side win title in debut non-league season BBC Sport, 18 April 2019
- ^ "EXPLAINED: The 2021–22 Non-League restructure". The Non-League Paper. The Football Association. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ "National League System Club Allocations – Steps 1 To 4, Season 2021–22 (At 17 May 2021)" (PDF). The Football Association. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ "Hashtag United promotion delights manager Jay Devereux". The Non League Paper. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Non-league Hashtag United make it 20 wins in a row". BBC Sport. 13 March 2023.
- ^ "The Future of Hashtag United Football Club". YouTube. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ @hashtagutd (15 August 2020). "🚨IT'S MATCH D̶A̶Y̶ WEEKEND...AND IT'S HUUUGE 🙌 SAT: 1pm: MEN Development (@ForestGladeFC) vs @Benfleet_FC U23 2pm…" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 August 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "HASHTAG UNITED ANNOUNCE MERGER WITH FOREST GLADE FC TO BRING YOUTH FOOTBALL TO THE CLUB | Hashtag United". FootballFanCast.com. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Welcome to the official website of Forest Glade FC | Billericay, Essex". www.forestgladefc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ HASHTAG'S NEW TEAM!, retrieved 20 April 2020
- ^ admin (20 April 2020). "Coronavirus battle: Hashtag United launch women's side with Basildon". The Non League Football Paper – Daily football news. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "AFC Basildon Girls U18". fulltime-league.thefa.com. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ Hashtag United, a unique symbiosis of virtual and real-life football FIFA, 28 December 2018
- ^ INTRODUCING HASHTAG UNITED! Hashtag United on YouTube
- ^ NEW KITS & NEW SIGNING! – HASHTAG UNITED Hashtag United on YouTube
- ^ Hashtag United: Inside story on the rise and rise of YouTube's No.1 football team Daily Mirror, 17 October 2008
- ^ Hashtag United x Hummel Kit Deal Announced – No More Adidas Footy Headlines, 28 April 2021
- ^ Hashtag United Women's FC signs deal with TGI Fridays Echo News, 8 July 2021
- ^ "Hashtag United on Twitter: "WITH @adidasfootball We've reunited with Adidas to bring you guys new kits & new memories for the coming season! 🙌"". Twitter. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Adidas have very much saved the day here". Twitter. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Hummel clubs assess fallout from Elite Sports Group's administration". SportBusiness. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ We'll be moving home next season... Hashtag United, 25 April 2019
- ^ WHERE'S OUR NEW HOME? – ASK DEVS ANYTHING #3 Hashtag United, 25 April 2019
- ^ Hashtag United launch first Hashtag Academy sports and education programme Archived 13 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine Hashtag United, 12 March 2020
- ^ After Thursday’s final you’ll be seeing a lot more of the venue as next season our Women’s team will play at @AveleyFC’s state of the art PARKSIDE STADIUM! Hashtag United FC Women, 12 April 2022
- ^ "PARKSIDE HERE WE COME!". hashtagunited.co.uk. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Hashtag United – Men". Hashtag United F.C. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Hashtag United – Women". Hashtag United F.C. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ Hashtag United vs Clapton Hashtag United
- ^ Hashtag UTD FC WOMEN vs ENFIELD TOWN LFC Hashtag United
- ^ a b c Hashtag United at the Football Club History Database