Pitching In Volunteer of the Month: Alfie Howden – Hashtag United

AN impromptu car ride proved to be the unlikely spark to one non-league football volunteer’s rapid rise through the ranks.

Alfie Howden only turned up to see Hashtag United’s first-ever game in 2018 out of curiosity having followed them online, before the baking heat led to the youngster collapsing in the stands. A lift home from media and operations director Neil Smythe led to Howden, now 23, coming along to the Tags’ inaugural home match and from then he was hooked. Now the club’s chief steward and matchday announcer, Howden is now a vital cog in the Hashtag machine that sees games watched online by over 100,000 people each week.

“I went to their first-ever non-league game against Little Oakley,” said Howden. “I was living in Oxford, so it was a long way, but I went over there because I had watched them online and wanted to see if it was what it looked like.

“It was a great game of football, but the heat meant I passed out. I came to surrounded by the Hashtag medical team and Neil agreed to drive me back home.

“I ended up in this hour and a half car journey with him and we were just talking about the club. I said I’d come down to the first home game a couple of days later and it just went from there.

“I started off with some PA announcing, then ground safety officer, and now I’m the chief steward.”

Howden’s trip to Hashtag was his first proper taste of non-league, having followed Oxford United and Crystal Palace before dipping his toe into the lower reaches of the game. But the 23-year-old admits that there is nothing quite like the close connection supporters and volunteers experience at Hashtag’s level.

“Before Hashtag I’d never been all that close to non-league,” he added. “You travel around and discover that it really is a family.

“When Hashtag lifted the step six trophy, that felt special because I’d followed them through that.”

Volunteers like Howden are the heartbeat of non-league clubs up and down the country and Southern League partners Pitching In have recently launched a Volunteer Hub to showcase opportunities across the country.

A 23-year-old chief steward is an unlikely sight across non-league but it is perhaps fitting for a club like Hashtag United, who were launched by YouTuber Spencer Owen and boast over 600,000 subscribers on the platform. Despite the eye-watering numbers online, volunteers on the ground are not so plentiful meaning Howden’s matchdays are jam-packed with endless jobs.

“We’re discovering that Hashtag is, in its own special way, like every other non-league club,” said Howden.

“People were sceptical when we first came in but speak to anyone and they’ll tell you we’re a nice bunch.

“We don’t have a lot of people at Hashtag so there is a lot of running around. It’s not a massive surprise that we don’t have a lot of people; we’re still new and we’ve moved ground three times.

“We have a fan base that is growing up with the club. We bring our own younger group to away games, and non-league football needs that next generation.”

Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk

By James Reid

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