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Part football team, part social media content house, Hashtag United first took to the pitch in 2016 not in search of trophies, but for YouTube views. What began as a Sunday league-style side playing exhibition matches among friends has since evolved into a fully fledged semi-professional outfit. Both the men’s and women’s teams are now climbing the English football pyramid at pace, blending online influence with on-field ambition.

Men’s vice-captain Harry Haysom swapped amateur side Leigh Ramblers for Hashtag United in 2021, stepping into the club’s reserve side back when they competed in the Isthmian League North, the eighth tier of English football. Since then, the defender has never looked back, embracing the club’s unique blend of ambition and community engagement.

And with more than half a million followers on Instagram, Hashtag United has leveraged its online popularity to travel far beyond England’s lower leagues, visiting nine countries in as many years. Their latest stop is Singapore, where they’re competing in the Soccer7sSeries at Jalan Besar Stadium from Friday (July 25) to Sunday (July 27).

“It’s very different, obviously, with most of our presence being online,” said Haysom, who is on his second overseas pre-season tour with the team, having previously travelled to the United States. “We actually get more fans turning up when we play teams further away from home, which is quite exciting, to be fair.”

Joining him on the tour is veteran midfielder Bonnie Horwood, who will don the captain’s armband for the tournament. The new summer addition was brought to the club to bring her wealth of experience, having played in the FA Women’s Championship for four different clubs.

“I’m trying to bring that experience into the team,” said Horwood. “We’ve got quite a young squad, so I’m helping out where I can, especially in terms of positioning and managing the tempo of the game. I think this week will be brilliant for that, getting to know everyone better. We’ve only had one week of training so far, so it’s been a bit of a trial by fire, but I’m really enjoying it.

With the women’s side just one step away from the Championship, Horwood hopes the ten-woman squad that made the journey to Singapore can use a strong showing at the Soccer7s to fuel their promotion push. “Off the pitch, building those connections is just as important,” she said. “Hopefully, we can take all of this experience back home with us.”

They will face nine other teams in the women’s competition, such as fellow English sides Queen’s Park Rangers Women, QPR Hoops, Brazil’s Corinthians Feminino, China’s Shanghai Shenhua Women, Selangor FC of Malaysia and four local clubs – Still Aerion, Geylang International, Eastern Thunder Women and Albirex Niigata FC (S) Women.

But they’ll have their work cut out for them in the fast-paced, seven-a-side format that lasts just 15 minutes per match, played across a full-sized pitch.

Former Women’s World Cup player Sunisa Srangthaisong, who will represent Still Aerion at the tournament, said she was eager to experience the fast-paced new format for the first time.

Almost two years after joining the local side from Thailand, Sunisa has settled in well and is looking forward to competing with friends from other local teams, including Geylang and second-tier side Eastern Thunder, which also features a strong contingent of Thai players.

With the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on break until August 16, Still Aerion currently sit third, just three points behind leaders Lion City Sailors, with a game in hand.

Forward Lila Tan is chomping at the bit to get back on the pitch during the lull. 

“It’s a really good feeling, especially getting to face such incredible players and teams. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.

”Especially because it’s our break right now, we’re not training as intensively, and we don’t have any matches. So, this tournament is definitely something that will keep the momentum going and give us something to work hard for.”

Like Horwood, Sunisa and Tan are hoping to carry the lessons from facing top international opposition in this tournament into their league form.

“It’s something that will really push us to work harder,” said Tan, while Sunisa added that she hopes the team can finish in the WPL’s top three.

The men’s Open category boasts 16 teams, while the Masters (over 35) division features 10 squads, including notable names like Premier League champions Wes Morgan and Robert Huth set to take the pitch.

They’ll be joined by familiar faces such as Marc Albrighton and Danny Drinkwater (formerly of Leicester City), Roman Weidenfeller and Kevin Großkreutz (formerly of Borussia Dortmund), as well as local legends Shahril Ishak, Daniel Bennett, Lionel Lewis, and Aleksandar Duric.

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