Angharad James (footballer)

Angharad Jane James (born 1 June 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Women's Super league and the Wales national team.[3]

Angharad James
James playing in October 2020
Personal information
Full name Angharad Jane James[1]
Date of birth (1994-06-01) 1 June 1994
Place of birth Haverfordwest, Wales
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Tottenham Hotspur
Number 15
Youth career
Manorbier Girls
2010–2011 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Arsenal 0 (0)
2012–2015 Bristol Academy 52 (4)
2016 Notts County 15 (0)
2017 Yeovil Town 4 (1)
2017–2019 Everton 35 (0)
2019–2021 Reading 36 (2)
2021 North Carolina Courage 16 (1)
2022 Orlando Pride 6 (0)
2022– Tottenham Hotspur 5 (0)
International career‡
Wales U17[2] 10
Wales U19[2] 25
2011– Wales 102 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 November 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 November 2022

James has previously played for English FA Women's Super League clubs Arsenal, Bristol Academy, Notts County, Yeovil Town, Everton, and Reading before moving to America to join North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League. Internationally, James has represented Wales since her debut in 2011 and was named Women's Players' Player of the Year for Wales in 2017[4] having previously been twice named Wales Women's Young Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.[5]

At 28, James is the youngest ever Wales player to accrue 100 Caps for her country.[6]

On 11 December 2022 she reached the 150 mark for Women's Super League appearances.[7]

Club career

Arsenal

James joined the Arsenal Academy in 2010 at the age of 16, after playing for Manorbier Ladies in her native Pembrokeshire.[8] She made her senior first team debut on 5 October 2011 as a 63rd-minute substitute for Gilly Flaherty in a 6–0 home win over Belarusian side Bobruichanka Bobruisk in the UEFA Champions League round of 32.[9][10]

Bristol Academy

Ahead of the 2012 FA WSL season, James was signed by Mark Sampson for Bristol Academy.[11] She made her Bristol debut on 22 April 2014 as a 60th-minute substitute for Molly Clarke in a 1–0 home defeat to Lincoln Ladies.[12] On 26 May 2013, James appeared as a halftime substitute for Alex Windell during the 2013 FA Women's Cup Final. Bristol lost 3–0 to Arsenal.[13] James played in 13 of Bristol's 14 league games during the 2013 FA WSL season as the team earned their highest ever finish, runners-up behind Liverpool. The two met on the final day of the season separated by two points with Liverpool winning 2–0 to clinch the title.[14] During the 2015 FA WSL season, James played in all 14 games as the Vixens were relegated.[15] She left following the team's relegation having made 83 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals. On her departure, Bristol manager Willie Kirk said, "You never want to lose top players, but following relegation it was inevitable that we would lose a few. Angharad played a big part in the club's successes over the past few seasons and at only 21 has bags of potential and can achieve a lot in the game... Angharad made her intentions to stay in WSL1 known to me very quickly so we have been planning for this for a while now."[16]

Notts County

Having stated her desire to remain in the top-flight, James signed for Notts County in March 2016 ahead of the 2016 FA WSL season.[17] She made 18 appearances in 2016. Two days prior to the start of the FA WSL Spring Series in April 2017, Notts County folded, leaving the players without a club.[18]

Yeovil Town

On 16 May 2017, following the folding of Notts County, James signed a short-term one month contract with newly promoted WSL 1 side Yeovil Town for the remainder of the FA WSL Spring Series.[19] She made four appearances and scored one goal in a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland as Yeovil finished bottom.

Everton

In July 2017, James left Yeovil to join newly-promoted Everton ahead of the 2017–18 FA WSL season.[20] She became an integeral part of the team, starting in 43 of her 47 appearances for the club during her two seasons as a Toffee.

Reading

In July 2019, James left Everton to join Reading.[21] On 17 November 2019, James scored her first Reading goal, and her first goal since scoring for Yeovil May 2017, in a 3–3 draw with Bristol City.[22] James captained Reading on 7 October 2020 in their 4–0 win over second division Charlton Athletic in the League Cup group stage in the absence of Natasha Harding.[23] James scored her only other goal for Reading on 23 January 2021 in the third minute of a 2–2 WSL draw with Aston Villa.[24] On 24 February 2021, Reading announced that James had agreed to join North Carolina Courage of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) upon the completion of the 2020–21 FA WSL season in May.[25] She left having made 48 appearances and scored two goals. In her final season with the team, James led the FA WSL in successful tackles with 46 and was one of three outfield players to play all 1,980 minutes along with West Ham's Grace Fisk and Manchester United's Millie Turner.[26]

North Carolina Courage

Having agreed terms in February, James joined North Carolina Courage in May after the end of the 2020–21 FA WSL season. She was named to a matchday squad for the first time on 5 June 2021 as an unused substitute against Chicago Red Stars before eventually debuting two games later on 23 June when she started against Racing Louisville. The Courage won 2–0 with head coach Paul Riley commenting James, "has a great range of passing and a great engine. She plays intelligently with the ball, and for me, she was one of the highlights of the night".[27] James scored her first NWSL goal and only goal for the Courage on 25 September 2021 in a 3–1 defeat away to Gotham FC.[28] James made 17 appearances during her debut NWSL season including one in the playoffs.

Orlando Pride

Having been traded to San Diego Wave FC in exchange for roster protection during the 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft on 8 December 2021,[29] James was subsequently traded to Orlando Pride along with a league record $275,000 in Allocation Money in exchange for Alex Morgan eight days later.[30] The move reunited her with fiancé Amy Turner, the first time since Notts County in 2016 they had been at a club at the same time.

James made her Orlando debut on 19 March 2022 at home to Washington Spirit in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. She would make four further appearances in the Cup competition that year ahead of the regular season opener on 2 May 2022 against Gotham FC where she would make her league debut for Orlando.

On 28 July 2022, James and Orlando agreed to mutually terminate her contract, one month after Amy Turner had had her Orlando contract bought out and returned to England with Tottenham Hotspur.[31]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 30 July 2022, it was announced that James had once again moved to the same club as her fiancé for the second time in seven months, this time English WSL side Tottenham Hotspur on a two-year deal with the option of a further year.[32]

International

Youth

James previously represented Wales at under-16, under-17 and under-19 level. The team automatically qualified for the 2013 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship as the host nation, their first appearance at the tournament. Despite the team losing all three group games and failing to score, James' performances earned her a place in 22-player the Squad of the Tournament, Wales' sole representative.[2]

Senior

On 27 October 2011, James made her senior international debut, aged 17, as a late substitute in a 2–2 draw with Scotland at Tynecastle Park during UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying.[9] She scored her first senior international goal on 29 February 2012, a 90+2 minute winner in a 1–0 victory over Portugal at the 2012 Algarve Cup.[33] James earned her 100th International Cap for Wales on 6 September 2022 in a World Cup Qualifier against Slovenia, a game which also saw her Wales team qualify for the World Cup play-offs for the first time in their history.[34]

Great Britain Olympic

In January 2012, James was named on the provisional Great Britain women's Olympic football team longlist for the London 2012 Olympics.[35] James had stated on numerous occasions that if she was selected she would accept a call-up to Team GB.[36]

Personal life

James speaks Welsh, viewing it not only as an expression of her identity but also a tactical advantage when playing English-speaking opposition.[37] Prior to focusing on football, James also played cricket and was capped internationally at under-15 level.[38] She attended Ysgol y Preseli at the same time as fellow Welsh international footballer Joe Allen.[39]

James' father, Clive, played rugby for, and later became head coach of, Narberth RFC.[38]

On 23 December 2020, James announced her engagement to fellow professional footballer Amy Turner.[40]

James is married to fellow professional football player Amy Turner [41]

Career statistics

Club summary
As of 4 November 2022[42]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental[lower-alpha 3] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 2011 FA WSL 0000001010
Bristol Academy 2012 FA WSL 1213031—182
2013 1304030—200
2014 132105041233
2015 141105020221
Total 5249016161836
Notts County 2016 FA WSL 1502010—180
Yeovil Town 2017 FA WSL 41———41
Everton 2017–18 FA WSL 1603040—230
2018–19 1901040—240
Total 350408000470
Reading 2019–20 FA WSL 1412060—221
2020–21 2211030—261
Total 362309000482
North Carolina Courage 2021 NWSL 1610010—171
Orlando Pride 2022 NWSL 605000—110
Tottenham Hotspur 2022–23 Women's Super League 500010—60
Career total 16982303917123410
  1. Women's FA Cup, NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. FA Women's League Cup, NWSL Playoffs
  3. UEFA Women's Champions League

International goals
As of match played 30 November 2021. Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each James goal.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 29 February 2012[33] Estádio Municipal Bela Vista, Parchal, Portugal  Portugal 1–0 1–0 2012 Algarve Cup
2 11 March 2015[43] Stadion Veli Jože, Poreč, Croatia  Croatia 1–1 1–1 2015 Istria Cup
3 3 September 2019[44] Rodney Parade, Newport, Wales  Northern Ireland 1–1 2–2 UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying
4 26 October 2021[45] Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Estonia 1–0 4–0 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 6 April 2023  Northern Ireland 2–0 4–1 Friendly

Honours

Bristol Academy

Individual

  • Wales Women's Young Player of the Year: 2013, 2014[46]
  • Wales Women's Players' Player of the Year: 2017[47]

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/01/2015 and 31/01/2015". The Football Association. p. 5. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. "UEFA Honour for Angharad". www.faw.cymru.
  3. Diamond, Drew (14 August 2020). "Exclusive: Angharad James and Being an International Star". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  4. "Former Arsenal midfielder wins FA Wales player's player of the year award". Daily Cannon. 3 October 2017.
  5. "Double delight for Angharad". tenby today. 10 October 2014.
  6. "Angharad James: Wales' youngest centurion". 5 September 2022.
  7. "Angharad James made her 150th appearance in the Barclays WSL". 13 December 2022.
  8. "Angharad is 'gunner' play for top academy". Western Telegraph. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  9. "Welsh debut for Angharad". Western Telegraph. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  10. "Arsenal 6-0 Bobruichanka". UEFA. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  11. "More new signings". Bristol Academy WFC. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  12. "Bristol Academy vs. Notts County 0 - 1". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  13. "Arsenal win FA Women's Cup final". BBC Sport.
  14. "Liverpool Ladies 2-0 Bristol Academy". The Guardian. 29 September 2013.
  15. "Report: Bristol Academy 4 - 2 Liverpool Ladies". Bristol City.
  16. "Angharad James To Depart Vixens". Bristol City.
  17. "Angharad James: Notts County Ladies sign Wales midfielder from Bristol City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  18. "WSL 1 club Notts County Ladies fold". BBC Sport.
  19. "Angharad James: Yeovil Town Ladies sign Wales international midfielder". BBC Sport. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  20. "Angharad James: Everton Ladies sign Wales midfielder". BBC Sport. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  21. "Angharad James signs for Reading FC Women". Reading FC.
  22. "Reading and Bristol take a point each on Women's Football Weekend". Reading FC.
  23. "Team News Reading v Charlton". twitter.com.
  24. "Iwabuchi inspires Villa to Royals draw". BBC Sport.
  25. "Angharad James: Wales and Reading midfielder to join NWSL side North Carolina Courage". BBC.
  26. "Angharad James FBref Stats". FBref.com.
  27. "Match Recap: Courage 2-0 victory over Racing Louisville". nccourage.com. 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  28. "Match Recap: NY/NJ Gotham FC". nccourage.com. 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  29. "NC Courage Receive Expansion Draft Protection in Trades with Angel City FC and San Diego Wave". North Carolina Courage. 8 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  30. "Pride Acquire NWSL Record $275,000 in Allocation Money, Angharad James from San Diego; Trade Forward Alex Morgan". www.orlandocitysc.com.
  31. "Orlando Pride, Angharad James Agree to Mutually Terminate Contract". www.orlandocitysc.com.
  32. "Angharad James seals move". Tottenham Hotspur.
  33. "19th Algarve Cup 2012 (Women's Tournament) summary". RSSSF.
  34. "Angharad James Wins 100 Caps And Wales Attract Record 12,741 Fans". 7 September 2022.
  35. "Angharad takes first Olympic step". Western Telegraph. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  36. "The Offside Rule WSL: Pancakes, Humble Pie and Welsh Cakes". offsiderulepodcast.com.
  37. "Sport and Welsh Language". Sport Wales.
  38. "Welsh honours for footie star Angharad". Tenby Observer. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  39. "Wales star footballer Angharad James was a special guest on the radio". www.pembrokeshiresport.co.uk.
  40. @amy_turner4 (23 December 2020). "Amy Turner announces engagement to Angharad James" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. {{cite insta post| https://Instagram.com/amyt4)
  42. "Angharad James - Soccerway profile". Soccerway.
  43. "Wales finish fifth following penalty shootout win". www.faw.cymru.
  44. "Wales-Northern Ireland UEFA Women's Euro qualifying". UEFA.com.
  45. "Wales-Estonia Women's World Cup quallifying". UEFA.com.
  46. "FAW Awards Evening 2014". www.faw.cymru.
  47. "Vauxhall FAW Awards 2017". www.faw.cymru.
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