Non-League and Academy football writer

Guuleed Hassan is Hilltop FC’s SBCL representative. I would like to thank Guuleed for speaking to me recently, ahead of this Sundays hugely important Somali British Champions League final, in Bristol, between Hilltop and FC Olympia. I spoke to Guuleed about Hilltop FC, as well as their run up to this seasons SBCL final.

How did you get first get involved with Hilltop to begin with?

Guuleed: Hilltop is a local club to me, and I knew a lot of the players who were at the club during its early days, in the 2000s. I’ve helped out in the background wherever I can in more recent years on and off, but for the last year and a half/two years I’ve helped out very consistently. I do off the field stuff, for example helping out Hilltop with the SBCL. I speak to the players and I communicate with the management staff, sharing ideas with them, for example.

Could you talk me through some of the history of Hilltop FC?

Guuleed: Hilltop was established in 2005, and they initially started in Sunday league football. They would climb up through the Middlesex League in Saturday football, all the way up the non-League ladder, to step 5. This is now our third season at step 5, and we’re hoping to get promoted to step 4 this season. So we want to continue climbing the ladder, keep on giving the youth an opportunity to express themselves, and go on to bigger things. Our plan as a club is to grow, whether that is on or off the field. The people who run the club as well as the players deserve a lot of credit for the way in which they have helped Hilltop to be so successful.

What are some of your standout moments so far, of being associated with Hilltop?

Guuleed: Seeing Hilltop win the SBCL was one great moment. Also, seeing Hilltop become a semi-professional club was massive. Growing up in the area in north west London, Wembley FC were the team that you wanted to play for, because they were at a much higher level. But, to now be playing at a higher level than Wembley just shows how far the club has come. I think that we are the only Somali semi-professional football club in England. The majority of the staff at Hilltop are Somali, but the playing squad is very diverse. We as a club are here to help the community, and to give the platform for the players to express themselves.

Winning an international tournament in Minnesota (in 2025), was another really big highlight for me.

Could you talk me through Hilltop’s run to the final of the 2024/25 SBCL season?

Guuleed: This seasons tournament format was different to usual, with there being two groups of five. Depending on where you finished in the group, it would determine which stage of the tournament you would reach next. We lost our opening group game in Birmingham 2-1, before then drawing against Cardiff Bay Warriors 2-2 at home. We then won 5-0 against Sheffield, before then beating Newmont to secure second place in the group, and a place in the quarter-finals.

Our quarter-final tie with Cardiff Bay Warriors didn’t go ahead, because of other reasons. We then played OIR over two legs in the semi-finals. We played them at home first, winning 2-1, before winning the second leg as well, to progress in to the final. We started the first leg really well going 2-0 up, with OIR doing better in the second half. OIR had to go for it during the second leg, but an early goal from us really settled the nerves, and it was a very professional second leg performance from the players. And here we are now against FC Olympia in the final.

What are some of your thoughts on this Sundays SBCL final versus FC Olympia?

Guuleed: We play football for games like this, to win silverware and to create history for our club. This is our third SBCL final – we’ve won one and lost one. No team in the history of the tournament has ever won it twice. We intend to win the final on Sunday, and we’re preparing for this final just like we would for any other game. The players are experienced and they know what it takes to win finals, but FC Olympia are a very good team. They’ve been in this competition for a long time as well, and this is their first final. They will be really looking to win this game as well, and so it won’t be an easy game for us. I do think that we’ll have enough to get the win on Sunday, and I believe in the players, and they also believe in themselves. On the day it’s about who wants the win more. It will be a very good game between two quality teams.

The SBCL have created a great platform for us teams, which has been immense. I would like to say well done and thank you to all at the SBCL, for creating something which has been amazing for the community. They have really brought the community together, and their recent one day SBCL youth tournament really showed that, as well.