The team, which sealed its third consecutive promotion this weekend, was acquired by a group of seven 19-year-old university students
They accumulate more than a million followers on Tik Tok and have gained a lot of fame in England
He Walton & Hersham F.C. hides one of the most curious stories behind its recent success. Tik Tok, a coach ‘fan’ of Guardiola’s football, seven university owners and a striker nicknamed ‘the new Jamie Vardy’. A semi-pro team from the south of England featuring the youngest owners in football, who owe their fame to social media and chain three consecutive promotions. This is his story.
The seven owners of Walton & Hersham FC make up a consortium that acquired the club in August 2019, when they were not even 19 years old. In England they call them ‘The Class of 18’: Thomas Bradbury, Ben Madelin, Calogero Scannella, Newton, Tucker and Reme Edetalen studied together at a Hampton school and got together to work on their life’s project once they started college. university stage.
However, it was not all rosy, as they quickly realized that it could be a bit big for them. “In our first month we saw that there was a lot more to manage than we expected. The day before our first game as owners, we didn’t have kits and we had to figure out how to get ahead.”confessed Tucker, one of the owners. It is clear that the effort has paid off.
Walton & Hersham FC players celebrate promotion
| @waltonhershamfc
After their victory last weekend, they got their third promotion in a row and are already in the seventh division. It is the eighth team in the history of the English football pyramid to achieve this feat, which is said soon. They are only three steps below the Football League.
Beyond the good performance on the field, the key to the success of the entity has been the social networks. As in the case of Hashtag United, a club founded by an English ‘youtuber’ who became famous on the Internet, Walton & Hersham FC is a global phenomenon among young people. Only in Tik Tok accumulate more than a million followers, added to the 80,000 followers between Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Everyone is waiting for your growth.
There is also a curious story on the bench. Scott Harris, coach of the ‘Swans’, is obsessed with Pep Guardiola and Spanish culture. “Even though we’re in these categories, that’s what he aspires to do. It’s not just winning for him. He wants to play football well,” explained the owner. It is surprising and very surprising to find a coach with this attitude and these football premises in some parts where the practice of football is limited to ‘tackle’ and the game through the air.
The player nicknamed ‘the new Vardy’
Palace Francis is the star striker for Walton & Hersham FC. With 20 goals in his first season at the 19-year-old, he is the club’s top scorer and came as a ‘bounce’ from Bromley FC, a fifth division side now fighting for promotion to the Football League.
It’s mid-December, and the Goal of the Season may already be a wrap 😵 @palacepriv
Full highlights of yesterday’s dominant win can be found on our YouTube channel below! 👇
📺 https://t.co/ZSdXjmgKHD pic.twitter.com/7wRp4Lfskt
— Walton & Hersham FC (@waltonhershamfc) December 11, 2022
There are those who compare his case with that of Jamie Vardy, a Leicester City legend who left Halifax Town, a team that played in the seventh division, and two years later he would sign for the ‘Foxes’. The rest is history, with that 2016 Premier.
“There is no reason to think that if Palace continues in its performance, it could reach a similar level. We will never know,” said Tucker, one of the owners. Who knows if in a few years we will remember him again.