| James Hardy | |
| Fullname: | James Paul Hardy[1] |
| Birth Date: | 11 May 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Stockport, England |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Ashton United |
| Youthyears1: | 2005–2011 |
| Youthclubs1: | Oldham Athletic |
| Youthyears2: | 2012–2015 |
| Youthclubs2: | Manchester City |
| Years1: | 2015–2019 |
| Clubs1: | AFC Fylde |
| Caps1: | 89 |
| Goals1: | 16 |
| Years2: | 2019 |
| Clubs2: | → FC Halifax Town (loan) |
| Caps2: | 6 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2019–2020 |
| Clubs3: | Walsall |
| Caps3: | 11 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2020–2021 |
| Clubs4: | AFC Telford United |
| Caps4: | 17 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2021 |
| Clubs5: | Altrincham |
| Caps5: | 11 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs6: | Chester |
| Caps6: | 10 |
| Goals6: | 2 |
| Years7: | 2022 |
| Clubs7: | → Buxton (loan) |
| Caps7: | 5 |
| Goals7: | 0 |
| Years8: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs8: | Buxton |
| Caps8: | 6 |
| Goals8: | 0 |
| Years9: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs9: | → Macclesfield (loan) |
| Caps9: | 8 |
| Goals9: | 1 |
| Years10: | 2023 |
| Clubs10: | Macclesfield |
| Caps10: | 16 |
| Goals10: | 1 |
| Years11: | 2023 |
| Clubs11: | → Ashton United (loan) |
| Caps11: | 5 |
| Goals11: | 2 |
| Years12: | 2023– |
| Clubs12: | Ashton United |
| Caps12: | 4 |
| Goals12: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2016–2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | England C |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 02:28, 23 December 2023 (UTC) |
James Paul Hardy (born 11 May 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ashton United.
Born in Stockport, Hardy signed for Oldham Athletic as a nine-year-old and spent six years with the club before being released in 2011. Following his release, Hardy was offered a trial by boyhood club Manchester City and signed a contract with the club in May 2012.[2]
Hardy joined AFC Fylde in October 2015 and quickly became one of the brightest prospects in non-league football.[3] He scored eight goals to help Fylde to the National League North title in 2016–17 but faced injury problems throughout the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, limiting his game time.[3] A hernia injury ruled Hardy out for four months in the 2018–19 season. On his return he joined FC Halifax Town on loan for a month in February 2019.[4] Hardy played six times for the Shaymen before returning to Fylde.[5] In total Hardy made 91 league appearances for Fylde, scoring 16 goals.
Hardy signed for Walsall in June 2019 after his contract expired at Fylde.[6] He scored a late equaliser on his professional debut in a 1–1 draw against Forest Green on 10 August 2019.[7]
He was released by the club at the end of the 2019–20 season,[8] and signed for AFC Telford United in August 2020.[9] On 20 February 2021, Hardy left the club by mutual consent.[10]
On 22 February 2021, Hardy signed for National League side Altrincham.[11]
On 15 June 2021, Hardy joined Chester on a one-year deal.[12]
On 18 March 2022, Hardy joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Buxton on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.[13] On 19 June 2022, Hardy joined the club on a permanent basis following their promotion.[14]
In October 2022, Hardy joined Northern Premier League Division One West club Macclesfield on an initial one-month loan deal.[15] This was later extended until the 8 January,[16] becoming permanent upon the end of this extension.[17] During his time at the club he was a part of the squad that won the 2022–23 Division One West title.[18] In September 2023, he joined Ashton United on an initial one-month loan deal.[19] He returned to Ashton United on a permanent basis in November 2023.[20]
Hardy made his England C debut in November 2016, providing the assists for both goals in a 2–1 win against Estonia U23s.[21]
He was awarded FA England C Player of the Year at the National Game Awards in May 2019[22] and earned five caps in total before entering the professional game.