Former Wales International Natasha Harding Allen-Wyatt Accused of Taking Thousands in Undelivered Coaching and Investments

Natasha Harding, a prominent Welsh footballer now known by her married name Allen-Wyatt, faces accusations from former teammates, parents, and sponsors regarding thousands of pounds allegedly taken and not repaid. Claims against Ms. Allen-Wyatt include receiving payment for one-to-one coaching sessions for children that were subsequently not provided. Several parents and businesses informed the BBC that the former Reading FC captain reportedly threatened legal action if they voiced complaints on social media. A significant number of these individuals have since reported the matter to the police and Action Fraud. Ms. Allen-Wyatt acknowledged the cancellation of “some sessions,” attributing these cancellations to circumstances beyond her control, and offered an apology to those impacted. Ms. Allen-Wyatt, recognized as a pioneering figure in women’s football, concluded her playing career in September 2023. She earned 103 caps for Wales, placing her among an exclusive group of nine Welsh footballers with over 100 national appearances. Her unexpected exclusion from the Wales women’s squad in late 2022 is understood by the BBC to have stemmed from a deterioration in her relationship with teammates, reportedly due to claims that she had not repaid money lent to her by some of them. Former teammates have since disclosed to the BBC that certain actions by Ms. Allen-Wyatt “also impacted ourselves, our families, and friends.” A statement issued by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) on behalf of its players, staff, and the FAW itself, described Ms. Allen-Wyatt’s alleged conduct as “extremely disappointing” and stated that it “do not represent us as a squad or our values.” The FAW advised families to report any “potential illegal activity to police in the first instance,” while also urging them to seek support from the association. The FAW further confirmed that discussions had taken place with the police and that players were receiving support. Ms. Allen-Wyatt, who previously played for Liverpool and Aston Villa and currently works as a commentator for Manchester City, another of her former clubs, established the Tash Harding Academy in August 2023. She frequently shared online updates regarding its achievements, asserting that she had conducted 2,000 coaching sessions for children throughout south, mid, and north Wales, as well as in Cheltenham and Bristol. Although the academy demonstrably conducts sessions with some young individuals, BBC Wales has interviewed parents and businesses who claim to have paid for services or investment returns that were not delivered. Between April 2023 and November 2024, BBC Wales examined hundreds of WhatsApp messages, banking transactions, invoices, and contracts, which corroborate these statements. The allegations encompass: Ms. Allen-Wyatt is regarded as an influential personality in Welsh women’s football, having frequently expressed her desire to motivate younger athletes. Certain parents expressed feeling honored that she recognized potential in their children. Lucy and Matt Roberts paid £300 for a package of 10 sessions for their seven-year-old daughter, Willow, who “lives and breathes” football but occasionally struggled with confidence. The Roberts, parents of three residing in Hengoed, Caerphilly, stated that Ms. Allen-Wyatt informed them a GPS tracker would be used to measure Willow’s performance metrics, which would then be benchmarked against children within the Aston Villa Academy database. Aston Villa has been contacted for a statement. Willow’s parents reported that she received one complimentary “taster” session followed by a single paid session, and stated they had “never had one since.” Ms. Roberts commented: “It’s one thing to lose this money, but at the heart of this are children who have been promised something that hasn’t happened.” Parents informed the BBC that they paid sums ranging from £180 to £975 for packages of one-to-one coaching sessions, and frequently only one or two sessions were provided, often including a free taster. None of the parents interviewed by the BBC received all the coaching sessions for which they had paid. They reported that Ms. Allen-Wyatt cited various reasons for not conducting the sessions, such as car accidents, unavailability of pitches, scheduling conflicts, her hen party, and her wedding. Numerous individuals stated that their requests for refunds were either ignored or that refunds were pledged but not issued. Certain parents noted that the cancelled sessions negatively affected their children’s confidence. Kelly Tanner, from Blackwood, Caerphilly, organized a taster session for her nine-year-old “football-mad” daughter, Elen, subsequently paying £300 for 10 additional sessions. Dr. Tanner recounted: “[Ms Allen-Wyatt] gave Elen really positive feedback and joked, ‘I’ll be your manager when you’re a famous footballer’. Elen was absolutely beaming.” However, after six weeks of attempts to schedule sessions, Kelly requested a refund, which was eventually provided. She stated: “The reason we wanted these sessions was to build Elen’s  self confidence and it did the absolute opposite in terms of feeling rejected, or not good enough, or just not important enough.” Adrian Thole, from Caerphilly, paid for 12 sessions for his 15-year-old daughter, Hannah, but only five of these were conducted. Hannah, now 16, described the sessions as very good but expressed feeling “embarrassed” when her father had to pursue Ms. Allen-Wyatt, attributing the situation to her own perceived inadequacy of not being “good enough” to train with her. Adrian commented: “Tash talks about how much of a privilege it was to play for Wales. She’s exploited that privilege and disappointed my daughter, and lots of other people.” Club Dreigiau Dâr was established in Aberdare last year with the aim of offering football opportunities for girls and boys aged seven to 11, irrespective of their skill level or financial circumstances. The volunteer-operated club paid Ms. Allen-Wyatt £650, expecting in return 20% of her academy’s profits and 12 coaching sessions for the club. She also committed to serving as their ambassador and providing parents with reduced-price one-to-one sessions. Only two sessions were conducted, and the club did not receive any profits from the academy. The club and two parents reported requesting refunds, but no money was returned. Club secretary Haydn Gleed characterized the situation as “heartbreaking.” The BBC also interviewed several businesses in south Wales who stated they provided hundreds of pounds in sponsorship, expecting their company names to appear on the front of shirts, banners, and kit in return. While some received photographs of a single shirt displaying their logos, they reported receiving nothing further. James Matthews, representing the air conditioning company Sub-zero Refrigeration, asserted that he invested and loaned £10,000 after being informed—similar to other businesses interviewed by the BBC—that he would function as a silent partner and receive a share of the profits. Over a one-year duration, he stated that he only recouped £437 for his 48% stake. Mr. Matthews expressed feeling “embarrassed” for having placed his trust in Ms. Allen-Wyatt, attributing this to her standing as a footballer. He remarked: “If it was someone off the street I would never have paid that money in.” In their statement provided to the BBC, the FAW, along with Wales women’s players and staff, declared: “As a squad that represents our country with pride and look to inspire the younger generation, it has been extremely disappointing to hear the allegations.” They further stated: “The actions taken by the academy subject to the BBC investigation were in no way affiliated to the FAW. However, the FAW would encourage those potentially affected to reach out for support but also advise that any potential illegal activity should be reported to the police in the first instance.” Since the publication of the story on Wednesday, additional parents and businesses have contacted BBC Wales, claiming to have also incurred financial losses. It is understood that allegations have been lodged with multiple police forces across Wales and England, with some of these reports also being forwarded to Action Fraud. Gwent Police confirmed receiving a fraud allegation, which it then referred to Action Fraud. Action Fraud has been approached for comment. Ms. Allen-Wyatt did not address the allegations from her former teammates or businesses, but conceded that she had to cancel “some sessions” arranged for children. She attributed the cancellations to “circumstances beyond my control,” specifically mentioning “my car being written off and the second car breaking down,” and stated that refunds had been issued to some parents and agreements reached with others. She explained that she established the academy to offer affordable, “detailed technical coaching” aimed at providing children with “the opportunities that I never had.” She affirmed that she continues to operate the academy and is “delivering local sessions.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.