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Hashtag United started life as a team comprising friends of Hashtag United's other founder, and Seb's brother, Spencer Owen. Through Spencer's media background, the team, its profile and its social following grew massively, with YouTube views and subscriber counts higher than most professional teams.
In 2018 Hashtag United entered the English football pyramid in the Eastern Counties League Division One South. In the years since they've achieved three promotions and grown their YouTube following to the point that it rivals most teams in the Premier League.
What Hashtag have achieved on the pitch is also impressive, but for some, the fact that they have a sizeable social following is seen as an almost unfair advantage. The idea that they’ve bought success doesn’t sit well with the founder.
Speaking to the Footballco Business Podcast in August, 2023, Carmichael-Brown said: "We've never once had the highest playing budget in any of the leagues. In any of our three promotions, male or female, we were often mid-table to upper-mid table. But we've been able to recruit really well and use our profile to help attract players.
"But we've never gone and just bought a league, like a lot of people, especially our competitors, think we've done. They think that because of all the YouTube side, there's this big pot of money. We're lucky with the revenues and partnerships we've got but there's a huge expense we have to go to that they don't as well. So it's not like we're sitting here rolling in cash, not at all. That's why commercial partners are so important for us... because without that every promotion costs a huge amount of more money, not just in any playing staff, but in the travel with the logistics in the broadcast as well."
To hear more about the Hashtag United story, including how they respond to criticism of the club’s name and how they’re working with commercial partners, listen to the show in full below or click here.
