Long read: Angharad James, centurion

We caught up with Angharad James, or ‘Haz’ for short, at Hotspur Way to discuss all things Reading, Wales and, most importantly, her dog Betsy.

But Betsy can wait. To start with, let’s address the elephant in the room. Early in September, at the age of 28, Haz became the youngest ever player to reach the milestone of 100 appearances for Wales. 

That includes the men’s team.

“To put the Welsh jersey on for one cap… I didn’t think that would ever happen, to be honest, being from a little town in Wales where the opportunities aren’t very high.”

Haz grew up in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, a market town perhaps most famous for being the birthplace of actor Christian Bale, also known as Batman.

There were plenty of ‘dark nights’ for the James family, who had to drive an hour and a half to two hours two or three times a week to allow Angharad to get a training session in.

“It’s a big commitment. If they didn’t drive me there, I couldn’t do it. It’s definitely evolving and there are a lot more opportunities now that the Football Association of Wales (FAW) have focused on in all areas of the country, which hopefully I can be a part of in the future, making sure we hit every area and get the best players playing for Wales. 

“Ultimately, that’s the goal for us as a national team, to make sure we inspire the future, and that’s something that the group is really working hard towards. We’ve done that with our attendances recently, as they’ve doubled.”

Haz is not wrong. 12,741 fans saw Wales Women qualify for the 2023 FIFA World Cup play-offs at the Cardiff City Stadium in September’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia.

Should they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina exactly a month later, with more than 10,000 tickets already sold for the Cardiff-based clash on 6 October, Wales will travel to Australia and New Zealand for their first ever World Cup.

“That’s for the work that everyone does behind the scenes and us using our platforms to be able to help change environments in Wales. The future’s bright and hopefully I can be a part of that.”

The title ‘centurion’ is a reward for the consistency James has shown throughout her decade-long senior career. She’s no stranger to putting herself out of her comfort zone.

Picking up the story in 2019, Haz moved to Reading Women - this weekend’s opposition for Spurs in the Continental League Cup - and went onto play every single minute of every game of the 2020/21 campaign.

“It was a club who helped me develop my individual stuff and I worked hard with a few of the coaches, who are still there now, on stuff that I needed to work on. I just have good things and positive things to say about them and the club and how far they go to try to help individuals. 

“It will be good to go back and see them all, but hopefully it won’t be too nice on the day!”

Reading, the only WSL side not affiliated with a Premier League club, became the first women’s team to permanently share a home with the men’s team when they moved into the Select Car Leasing Stadium in 2020.

“Their fanbase is something that’s grown each year. That’s something that’s evident in the WSL from the highs of the Euros in the summer. With the north London derby last weekend and the record attendance, women’s football is only going in one direction and hopefully, together, we continue to help it grow. 

“We have a duty to do that as players to make sure we leave women’s football in a better place than we found it. As we are right now, we can say we’re definitely doing that.”

A hard working, combative midfielder who would wear the captain’s armband for the Royals, that 2020/21 season included the accolade of making more successful tackles than any other player in the WSL.

“That’s something in my game that I’ve really worked hard on since I came into the WSL a very long time ago. 

“Maybe more of my game I’m trying to develop is in possession now, so it’s nice to have versatility and a bit of both. I enjoy putting a tackle in. I like to read the play and figure out what the opposition are going to do next, counteract that, and that’s something that I’ve worked hard on and remains a focus of my game.”

From a defensive point of view, James is comfortable playing in front of Molly Bartrip, as the Spurs duo previously spent periods of their careers together at Reading.

“She’s grown as a player and a person since our time at Reading. She’s adapted into a very good centre-half and one that’s probably looking for an England call-up in the future if she continues to work hard and play as we all know that she’s capable of playing. 

“She’s definitely got the standard to reach the international stage. She was at Reading for a number of years and since she’s been here at Spurs her game has just flourished and is on the up. Hopefully, she works hard with the staff here and that will continue to grow.”

It takes one international to know one.

James had just finished celebrating her 100th cap for Wales on an historic night for the nation when attention immediately turned to Manchester United. Marc Skinner’s side would be the visitors for the opening game of the 2022/23 WSL season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Two days later, The Royal Family announced the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and football was postponed to allow us to pay our respects.

“You know what, I hadn’t been celebrating the Wales win too much with my family because I had to prepare for the United game at the weekend.

“Thankfully, my family still came up, and I still had a nice meal and a few drinks with them to celebrate, but as soon as the 100 caps were done my focus was turning back to Spurs and what I needed to do to be ready for the weekend. 

“I will eventually reflect when I get a day or two here and there, but for now it’s just onto the next one. We’ve got another camp coming up soon too, so it’s an exciting time to be a part of Welsh women’s football."

To those Reading fans who saw Haz play every minute of the 2020/21 campaign, it should come as no surprise that she missed “only a handful” of games for Wales between her first cap and her 100th.

“That’s an achievement I can be proud of. It was a day that was more for my family than anything else. It was a way of saying thank-you to them for taking me everywhere around the country to ensure that I followed my dream. 

“They gave me the best opportunities I could get to play football, so it was a very proud moment. I thanked all the ex-players who helped me develop my game and the coaches I’d worked with who had given me opportunities I never expected. 

“I took it and gave it everything I’ve got. To put the Welsh jersey on was a dream, but to do it 100 times is incredible. The feeling never changes. It’s the exact same buzz every game. The 100 caps have just flown by, so hopefully the next 100 can do the same!”

To leave Reading and start a new life in America - a completely different culture with time zones that made it harder to stay in touch with her parents - was not an easy decision, but Haz is a player who moved to London at the age of 15 to follow her dream. Having to cook and clean for herself was a mere byproduct of that.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t all smooth sailing in the US, where James signed for Orlando Pride.

“It was a mixed time over there. I really enjoyed elements of the lifestyle and the game over there. It’s very different and transitional. The WSL is a lot more physical and here there’s a lot more structure to teams. I think I missed that being over in America. 

“I wanted it to be black and white as to what was expected and it didn’t quite happen, but the players that I played with and against are world class players, so it only helped my performance in different ways. I wanted to go out there and develop different elements of my game. I don’t tend to move around the pitch quickly, I tend to stay at one pace, so that was something I wanted to go over there for. 

“The transitional side of things would hopefully get that out of me and I feel like I’ve come back a better and stronger player. I’m just looking now to settle in here at Spurs and look ahead to the future and how I can help this team move forward. I’ll do everything I can to make sure I work hard every day and try to be the best player I can be.

“There were elements of it that I really enjoyed. It was very chilled, laid back, and you go in, work for a few hours as hard as you can, everything’s full on. I enjoyed that side of things, but there just wasn’t enough structure or game plan setups that helped me within the team. 

“Coming back to the WSL and having the opportunity to come to such a big, ambitious club like Spurs, was something that I always wanted to do. Hopefully, it’s a positive move back and I can flourish now in a Spurs shirt.”

Having lived in London before and worked under Rehanne Skinner at both Arsenal and Wales, Spurs naturally felt like the next step to take in a career full of a wide variety of experiences.

“Rehanne was a big reason as to why I came back. She demands high standards and that’s something that I pride myself on - high standards and making sure I do everything the best I can to perform on match days. We’re still working very hard to make sure we achieve what she wants us to achieve and what we believe that we can. 

“It’s still early days and we’ve got a completely new team to last year. Everyone’s building and getting into their stride at the minute and I think the only way is up. The players she’s brought in and the players she already has here are world class players. I’m excited to see where this team can get to and I’m excited to be a part of that journey.”

Playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be another exciting part of that journey when the chance comes to do it for the first time.

“I can’t wait. I visited the stadium when we did the media day and it was unbelievable. I can’t wait to play in front of the home fans. The amount that turned up at the derby last weekend to support us was great. I don’t think women’s football has had an away end before and to see the amount of Spurs fans that came out and supported us, unfortunately we couldn’t put the performance in to match it, but we will be better and stronger. 

“Hopefully, next time we step into the stadium and onto the field, we’ll be ready and even hungrier to get the win that we need.”

You didn’t think we’d forgotten about Betsy, did you?

To get the most out of the rigorous demands of playing for a WSL team, it’s vital to have time away from the pitch to switch off, and that’s where the pet dog comes in.

If you think you recently saw Betsy on Haz’s Instagram Story, you could be mistaken. That was Amy Turner’s sister’s dog, more affectionately referred to as Albus Dumblepaw.

Unfortunately, the two pups do not get on.

“She had him a few months ago and he’s the cutest, but our dog Betsy hated it. She’s an only dog, so she was glad to come back to us. After our time in America, that was one thing that, it’s strange to think about, but when you come home and have a dog it helps you switch off. 

“Her tail’s wagging and she’s happy to see you and you kind of forget about everything that’s happened in the day. It was difficult in America to have that switch off, so it’s nice to have her back and take her on a few new walks around Hertfordshire. 

“The amount of cafes and stuff that are dog friendly now, it’s actually crazy. You can go for a nice walk and a coffee at the end. I’m not a cat person.

“I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, going shopping, going out for brunch, taking my dog for a walk - just things that help you switch off. I do believe that you need down time and time that is completely away from football, where you don’t have to think about anything to do with football on your days off. 

“I just try to switch off the best I can and do things that make me happy like going to the cinema, the theatre, or going for a day out somewhere. Anything to switch off for a day and I’m mentally prepared then for the next day of training, then we go again.

“I watched The Lion King at the theatre, which was pretty cool. I’m going to try to go to the theatre a lot more now that I’m in London. There’s no excuse to not go. Esther Morgan’s dad was part of The Lion King orchestra - he’s in charge of it. The terms for that are probably completely wrong so you might want to ask Esther what his actual title is! But that’s pretty cool, so I’ll have to go again to watch it now that I know that with Esther. That’ll be nice.”

We did ask Esther:

“I’ve just asked him what he’d call himself and he said either solo French horn or only French horn. Guess you could say first French horn as well. So whichever you want!”

As quickly as her attention turned from 100 caps with Wales to Spurs on the weekend, our interview concludes and Haz can’t wait to switch off with Betsy. For a dog that waited months for its owner to come back from across the pond, we can’t bring ourselves to take anymore of Haz’s time.