Spencer FC & Hashtag United: How a YouTuber built a football empire

Does the name Spencer Carmichael-Brown ring a bell? Maybe not, but Spencer FC probably does. And, whether you have seen and heard much beyond the quirky franchise moniker, Hashtag United will likely have graced your social media feed at some point.

You had better get accustomed to that because these establishment-rocking upstarts are not going anywhere. It's been a wild roller coaster of a ride over the course of the last decade, with thrills and spills - all captured on camera, of course - very much part of what is now a modern phenomenon.

Football is no longer monopolised by historic enterprises with roots in the 19th century that have been forced to evolve and meet the demands of an ever-changing society. There will always be a place for those storied institutions, but for others the time is very much now.

Audiences are interacting with sport in entirely different ways, opening up exciting avenues to be explored by those with the requisite ambition, resources and sense of adventure. It is when heading down those paths that new empires are built. Origin story

In the spring of 2016, Spencer Owen had a dream. It was not a particularly elaborate one at the time, but would quickly take on a life of its own. What was intended to be a bit of fun - with friends in tow - as the virtual world of FIFA streaming on YouTube was blended with the real life equivalent of kicking a ball around a pitch, it quickly morphed into the roots of a club that now boasts men’s, women’s and eSports branches.

Speaking at the opening of the LiveScore Lounge at Hashtag United’s new home ground, Spencer told GOAL of how a quite remarkable journey started: “The origin concept is really me trying to find a way of getting a job where I can make videos about football, but actually playing football. Because I've done a little bit on YouTube before, I had a bit of a fan base, and they, for whatever reason, and I still don't fully understand, wanted to watch me and my pals play a quite low level of football.

“What we were then able to do is add what I am good at. In another world, I'd probably have been a TV show creator, right? I'm good at coming up with formats and things. So I was able to find a way to make the games interesting and get a good opponent and play in interesting places, so people watched it. And then it was, 'can we do this to create a club, actually create a brand and a club and a fan base through this quite unusual start?'”

The year Manchester United were founded? 1878. Arsenal trace back to 1886. Hashtag United? 2016. It feels a little bizarre to say it loud. “I don't actually think it is that unusual. People compare us to these 150-year-old football clubs, but if they were founded in 2016, they would have had an internet presence. They would have done things in a different way to what they did when they were founded in the 1800s. So it's just of its time.

“And people watched us. We got a bit of a fan base. And two years in, we were getting a bit older and kind of weren't sure how long we could do it for. And I'd always wanted to get into non-league because my dad was involved in it as a physio when I was a kid. I always liked the idea of having a club. So we thought, 'hang on, we might actually have a case to get into non-league here and actually be a proper club'.

“I think from then it sort of snowballed, lots of little decisions, things along the way that have helped us. And ultimately ended up with what is now our permanent home here in London. We have a really strong women's team, best in the county of Essex, playing in the third tier. And a men's team that have had some real success and are now going into a new chapter in step four. It’s trying to make football fun again and become a unique football club in the world and, I guess, in terms of the club, eventually joining the league system.”