Gamechanger

by Spencer FC

  When I looked up, I could see someone filming me. If he’d put that clip up online, and edited it in a certain way, it could have made me look like the bad guy, and I realised it just wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t safe in that environment so I needed to take myself out of it.

  Now, before you start saying, ‘Poor Spencer,’ and playing the world’s smallest violin for me, I do, of course, need to mention the other group from the conversation with my dad. The people who love and support what we do.

  Thankfully, they make up the majority of the comments and tweets we receive. I always say that I make content for the modern-day football fan. If you like football and you like eSports and gaming, and you’re able to embrace the future of football and have fun finding out what that looks like, then hopefully you should find something to love on my channel, whether you’re 14 or 40.

  The majority of feedback we get is overwhelmingly positive. I get people of all ages – parents, young kids, teenagers, even older people – leaving lovely words online and approaching me to tell me they enjoy what we’re doing. That’s amazing to me, engaging the new generation of football fans and having something to offer for the current generation, too. I remember one West Ham fan at that same dodgy game in Romania was from the Israeli West Ham supporters group, and he thanked me for making my match-day vlogs. He said watching them was the closest he could get to going to a game regularly. That’s why I do it. Encounters like that always make me feel good.

  These are the people we love to hear from. We’re not interested in trying to convert people who don’t want to embrace change. When we went out to Northern Ireland with Hashtag United, we tweeted out 45 minutes before kick-off that we were in the country to play a match, and 600 people turned up to watch. We even had a pitch invasion at the end! These are the people we want beside us as the football landscape changes so radically.

  One of the most surreal moments was when I did a video with Real Madrid star Gareth Bale just after he’d helped Wales qualify for Euro 2016. A load of kids ran over at one point, as you’d expect when one of the world’s best players is around … but instead of running up to Gareth, they all came up to say hello to me.

  ‘Er, guys,’ I said, a little sheepishly, ‘maybe you hadn’t noticed, but Gareth Bale is right over there.’

  ‘Yeah,’ they said, ‘but he’s really famous. You’re our mate.’

  The power of ‘Alright mate, how you doing?’ clearly cannot be understated! YouTube has that ability to make us feel like we’re in a community rather than an us-and-them situation, and I love that about it. These kids felt like they could approach me as a mate, while to them it was like Bale belonged in a different stratosphere to us (to be fair, Bale belongs in a different stratosphere to most footballers, he’s that good).

  Some footballers are elevated to the level of a god at times, especially by those of us who see football as a religion. I’ve been guilty of this. When I went to Camp Nou for Barcelona against Manchester City in the Champions League and saw Leo Messi play live for the first time, all I could think was, He should be wrapped up in clingfilm in a museum somewhere. The concept of Messi actually running around, getting sweaty, muddy, fouled … it just seemed wrong.

  I play football with some mates every week, and when I was walking into the hall, a group of teenagers who’d just been playing were coming out, and a couple of them spotted me and asked me for a picture. Cool, no problem at all. When I came out an hour later after playing there they were again, but this time they had a printout of their YouTube channels in their hands. They’d realised I wasn’t going anywhere for an hour so they’d gone home, printed some screenshots off and come back to show me their content. I really admire that kind of entrepreneurial spirit, and you never know where it might lead.

  I was getting the train into London one day when a young lad came and sat next to me on the bench. He told me he was a fan of my channel and we got talking. I asked him a lot about the kind of content he liked on YouTube. We then sat together on the train and carried on talking – he was a West Ham fan too, so we had plenty to chat about – and when we got off the train I asked him where he was going.

  ‘I’m going for an interview with Jamie Oliver’s production company,’ he said.

  It turned out he’d had some experience as a runner on various shoots, so I said, ‘Sweet. Good luck with it, and if it doesn’t work out, drop me a message.’

  I gave him my details, and three months later when his job with the production company had finished, he hit me up, we went for lunch and I ended up hiring him. His name is Lewis Preston, and you might recognise him from Hashtag matches. He was perfect for us, and he put himself out there to make it happen.

  His football prowess had nothing to do with why we hired him, but it was an unexpected bonus. After a few weeks on the job he invited me down for a five-a-side game he was playing in, which I think in hindsight was his secretly putting on a Hashtag United trial for himself. Again, you’ve got to admire the entrepreneurial spirit.

  You’ve got to back yourself when it comes to these things. You’ve no idea how often I’ve been told I’m no good as a footballer, but I’ve got to back myself when I’m out there playing otherwise – if I believed everything I heard – I’d get mugged off every game. In games for Hashtag or the Wembley Cup, I’ve been lucky enough to play alongside and against World Cup winners, Champions League winners, Premier League winners, all sorts. If I didn’t back myself to at least be able to kick a ball, the mere concept of standing alongside these guys would be enough to send me into hiding!

  I backed myself when I left my job with Vincent Kompany, even though everyone told me not to, and I did it again when I left Copa90. When Alex and I were working like mad for a year in our pressure-cooker flat, we were backing ourselves then. If you want to make a success of anything in life, especially on YouTube or something in the creative industry, you need to do it, because you will have to get very used to rejection.

  Starting out on YouTube with hardly any views can feel like just one long period of rejection, but it was nothing I hadn’t experienced when doing stand-up shows to empty rooms and being passed over for presenting jobs.

  You need to have a vision of yourself that you believe is good enough, regardless of what people tell you. Within reason, of course. If you’re losing every game at FIFA in Division 10 despite having played for years, maybe those dreams of being a pro-FIFA player might need to be shelved!

  Of course, you always need someone to help you along the way. It’s a team game, after all. When I emailed everyone at BigBalls, Rich liked what he saw and gave me the opportunity at We R Interactive. I always try to do the same for anyone with a bit of something about them who gets in touch with me.

  And I definitely wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the amazing team of people I have around me, especially Alex and my brothers.

  I never got into this for fame or money, because no one was getting famous or making money on YouTube when I started out. I got into it because I loved doing it, and that passion for making content has never gone away.

  It’s probably easy for young people to look at some of the lives on YouTube now and be seduced into thinking what they’re seeing is real, and aspire to be like that, to think they can copy it and get the same results. To be fair, I’d probably do the same if I was a kid. But it’s not real. It’s all a façade. Almost everyone is putting on an act to some degree in their content, so don’t be fooled into thinking that’s real life. Just like all forms of entertainment, there’s a level of interpretation involved.

  I was lucky enough to try lots of other things first before I found any success on YouTube, so I had a whole host of influences to draw upon, not just other YouTubers. I had no model to follow, and I just made content I enjoyed and felt strongly about. There is so much great content out there on YouTube now, and you’ll find that’s the one thing that the best creators on the platform have in common: they feel passionately about what they’re doi
ng. They’re not just blindly copying someone else in a scramble for subscribers.

  I’ve never gone chasing the money. If I had, I could have stayed working for Vincent Kompany and had a much easier life. I could have gone down the coin-sponsor route or made cheap, low-level content with Alex doing pack-openings in her lingerie if that was what really mattered to me (though she might have had something to say about that … and I know her parents certainly would!).

  My way has paid off in the long term. Alex and I have bought a house now, which we never dreamed we’d be in a position to do at our age, but almost everything else we’ve made has been put straight back into the videos. Because that’s what it’s all about for me. Coming up with ideas and making them happen – producing content I love and that I hope my viewers will too.

  If I had that conversation in Pizza Hut with my dad now, what would I say? I’d definitely understand his point of view, with some of the haters I’ve encountered both online and in the flesh. But you can’t let these people grind you down, and I think I’m in a pretty good position to say that where I am now isn’t a bad place to be at all.

  I always come back to a quote by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. He said, ‘A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.’

  I’m lucky enough to be able to say that’s me. I’m living my dream, spending my days playing my favourite games and taking part in football matches all over the world with my mates, despite being nowhere near good enough. And you, our readers, subscribers and viewers, are the ones making that all possible. You’re helping us make our dreams come true, and I’m unbelievably grateful for that. Together, we’re changing the game.

  THANKS FOR READING, GUYS, AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. I’D ASK YOU TO DROP A LIKE OR SUBSCRIBE, BUT GIVEN THAT WE’RE IN GOOD OLD-FASHIONED BOOK FORMAT HERE, IT JUST LEAVES ME TO SAY:

  UNTIL NEXT TIME. I’LL SEE YOU WHEN YOU’RE OLDER. DON’T GO CHANGING. OH, AND DON’T FORGET TO HASHTAG IT!

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I couldn’t possibly finish without thanking some of the key individuals who have made this book, and the crazy adventure that’s become my life, possible.

  First of all, thanks to my publisher Sara Cywinski for giving me the freedom to do the book my way and for believing in the project from day one. I really appreciate it.

  Next, I must thank Steve Burdett. Our long chats often felt like (much-needed) therapy sessions, but without them this book wouldn’t exist. Being able to put this together in what has easily been the busiest year of my life was all thanks to Steve’s uncanny ability to take my often random thoughts and put them down onto paper in a much more intelligible form. Cheers Steve, I owe you a drink or three!

  Big thanks also to Dave Brown at APE, Anna Mrowiec and the rest of the team at Ebury.

  There’s a surprising amount of people working behind the scenes in what we do and I could easily write a paragraph about all of them. Apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone!

  I want to offer huge thanks to Lewis Preston, Adam Boultwood, Faisal ‘Manjdog’ Manji, David Molomby, Glen Cowie, Robbie Morgan, Jack Hoyle, Tom Mallion, Ash Raim and Marius Hjerpseth. All very talented guys whose hard work makes my life so much easier!

  Thanks to: Mr Haskett for the being the best teacher I ever had; Sean Baker for giving me my first real chance in football at Heyridge Boys; Greg Osborne for being my university radio co-host and doing the buttons; Richard Welsh for seeing something in me and giving me that first leg up after university; Oli Madgett for being a great first boss and the nicest man you’ll ever meet; Tom Thirlwall for believing in a weird idea about a man playing FIFA in a mask and giving me the perfect opportunity to learn my trade; Vincent Kompany, Klaas Gaublomme and Vincent Jansen for giving me some amazing experiences and one of the best jobs imaginable; Matt Roberts, Nick Farnhill, the rest of the Poke team and everyone at EE who have made the Wembley Cup possible and so memorable – thanks for giving me the best night of my life; Top Eleven and Umbro for believing in our crazy idea about a football team named after a keyboard symbol; Brent Koning at EA for trusting me to be one of the faces of his FIFA eSports revolution; every single player that’s ever put on a Hashtag United shirt and gone into battle with me; the Hashtag United eSports players for doing us proud and leading us into the future.

  Now, just like in most acknowledgements, I need to thank my family. However, in my case I owe my family more thanks than most do.

  My older brother Seb has allowed us to take everything up a level since he came on board and his constant support and hard work have been invaluable to everything we do together. We’ve come a long way since battling it out on FIFA 98. Thanks for everything, Sebby boy, long may it continue.

  My younger brother Saunders doesn’t get the credit he deserves, but chances are if you’re watching one of my videos and you think it looks good or well-edited, it’s probably down to him! He’s super talented and I can’t wait to see what he does with the rest of his career. No doubt whatever it is, it will be spectacular. Saundie Daundie, you’re a legend. Thanks for being so great at what you do!

  My mum Sindy and my dad Steve are the best parents a lad could ask for; they’re always there for me whenever I need them and they’ve given me all of their support and backing from day one (even when my decisions probably didn’t make sense to them at the time).

  If you went to the Wembley Cup in 2016 you probably heard my mum screaming at the top of her voice. Mum, you are the best person I know and I love you all the way to Bell House and back. Thank you.

  As for my dad, aka Stevie CB, the physio of dreams, he’s so much more than Hashtag’s medical man. Dad, you’re my hero and I hope I end up half the man you are. Thanks for always being there.

  Having all of my family involved in the projects we take on now is the icing on the cake for me. It makes everything so much sweeter. We’re a family and we’re a team, and a pretty damn good team if I do say so myself.

  Most of all, though, I have to thank my partner in crime, Alex. Alex, the role you’ve played in all of this cannot be over-exaggerated. The risk you took in leaving your job to follow my crazy dream was a catalyst for so much of what’s happened since, and I hope you know how grateful I am for all of the hard work you’ve put in to help us achieve what we have. Football was never your passion but you made it your life in order to let me do things I never thought were possible. Not only were you the key to all of this, but there’s no one else in the world I’d rather have done it with. Considering we spend so much of our lives together it’s amazing that you’re not sick of the sight of me yet, but I love you now more than ever and I’m so lucky that my university bedroom got that leak back in 2007. Thank you for being the most patient, understanding, considerate, giving and breathtakingly beautiful woman in the world.

  Finally, I have to thank all of you, the readers, the viewers, the hashtaggers, the legends on the other side of the screen who have changed my life. Without the incredible support that you’ve given me over the years on YouTube, none of this would ever have happened. I’m eternally grateful for the situation you’ve put me and my family in, and I will continue to do everything I can to make the sort of content you deserve. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the story about how it all unfolded for me, but please know that regardless of the decisions I made, without you watching my videos then none of it would have mattered. I hope that over the next few years I can create a whole load of new memories for us to reminisce about and ponder over in the future. The best is yet to come – got to save some stuff for the sequel! After all, you know I love a series.

  Don’t go changin’.

  Your mate,

  This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly
permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Epub ISBN: 9781473551626

  Version 1.0

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,

  20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,

  London, SW1V 2SA

  Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

  Copyright © Spencer Owen 2017

  Spencer Owen has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  Design & studio photography © Dave Brown / Apeinc.co.uk

  Cover design & photography © Dave Brown / Apeinc.co.uk

  First published by Ebury Press in 2017

  www.eburypublishing.co.uk

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN: 9781785036385

  3 KOMPANY MAN

  1 All within the confines of the law, officer!

  2 ‘The fear’ was something I learned from the wise sages of the sitcom Friends, Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing. (Check out season 3, episode 10.) ‘As long as you’ve got this job,’ Joey explains to Rachel Green, whose fashion-industry dreams are floundering in a coffee-shop job, ‘you’ve got nothing pushing you to get another. You need the fear!’

  4 BEHIND THE MASK: FIFA PLAYA

  3 A FIFA apology is where the loser will publicly acknowledge the superiority of the winner and apologise for their own performance. Depending on the manner and margin of defeat they can range from the mildly embarrassing to the completely demeaning, with all kinds of shades of grey in between.