Ex-Man City women’s star probed for ‘conning fuming parents out of £45k in coaching sessions that NEVER happened’

AN planetary women’s footballer is being investigated for allegedly conning parents retired of thousands of pounds for coaching sessions that ne'er took place.

Welsh prima Natasha Harding, who played for Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa, is accused of taking hundreds of pounds for one-to-one grooming with youngsters - but ne'er carrying retired the classes.

Angry parents assertion Harding, capped 103 times by Wales successful a star-studded career, owes them £45,000 successful refunds.

Harding has apologised for the cancelled sessions but said it was "unavoidable" and "beyond my control".

She said she is "devastated" implicit the concern and has agreed to wage refunds.

There are 27 “victims” including full teams of young girls, who are said to person handed implicit arsenic overmuch arsenic £1,200 each without getting thing successful return.

Individual sessions for kids aged betwixt 8 and 15 outgo £30 an hour, but galore parents were buying aggregate classes and immoderate included full squads of hopefuls.

Now the South Wales football community, wherever Harding began her career, fearfulness the ex-striker has deliberately taken their wealth and has nary volition of giving it backmost oregon holding immoderate of the coaching sessions.

A WhatsApp radical was created by outraged parents, aft they realised much and much alleged victims were owed hundreds of pounds by Harding.

A source, whose 12-year-old girl was owed to bid with the ex-pro, told The Sun: “She promises a batch to the kids, my friend’s girl is autistic and she kept asking erstwhile she was going to spot Natasha.

“She spent £900, she would adhd connected dietician and gym plans but ne'er really got anything.

“She has repaid tiny amounts present that she knows we are putting up a combat to get our wealth back.

“But the parents who are owed much than £1,000 person got thing back.”

After retiring from nonrecreational shot past twelvemonth Harding, 35, started offering retired days wherever children could enactment successful backstage sessions.

According to sources, the sessions grew successful popularity and Harding started artifact booking for up to £360.

OUT OF POCKET

A batch of the children who booked onto the sessions play for academies successful Gwent, South East Wales, oregon The South Girls’ Development Centre.

Their parents are fearful that speaking retired could impact their children’s aboriginal shot careers.

The anonymous root added: “She is putting fearfulness into america due to the fact that she is perceived to power the shot world, she’s got contacts everywhere.

“My girl ended up having zero sessions, I couldn’t get her to perpetrate to a day and it took maine weeks to pursuit her for a refund.

“People are realising she has purposefully taken wealth with nary volition of giving it back.”

The promised sessions were expected to commencement successful June 2023 and erstwhile they began to beryllium cancelled galore gave Harding “the payment of the doubt”.

But present parents are exchanging up to 90 messages a time connected a specially set-up WhatsApp radical arsenic the missed thirty-pound sessions person begun piling up.

Reported excuses see Harding telling parents she had 2 car crashes successful 3 weeks, alongside 2 car breakdowns and 1 car “blow out”.

Harding, Welsh Footballer of the Year successful 2016, has been reported to Action Fraud, and the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre.

It is understood parents person besides reported her to Gwent Police and Gloucestershire Police.

STAR'S APOLOGY

Harding, 35, who lives successful Stroud, Glos, has apologised and blames circumstances beyond her power for the missed coaching sessions.

She told The Sun: “I connection my apologies to those affected whose sessions I could not complete.

"This was unavoidable, and it was ne'er the volition not to fulfil the sessions.

"Because of circumstances beyond my control, which was ever made wide to parents, I had to cancel immoderate sessions aft initiating and completing others."

Harding, present a TV commentator connected the women’s game, added: "I’ve been trying to grow my tiny academy and was unluckily fto down by further coaches, my car being written disconnected and the 2nd car breaking down.

“When without a car I caught a two-hour bid to sessions to debar cancellations, lugging my instrumentality with maine and needing taxis.

"However, this was not sustainable.

"The academy’s intent is to supply elaborate method coaching to young boys and girls and supply them with opportunities I ne'er had, with the outgo beneath alternate coaches to springiness adjacent accidental without barriers, prejudices, oregon preferences.

"I’m devastated that I haven’t been capable to decorativeness the league blocks, and I’ve ever been upfront astir the problems I’ve faced that are beyond my control.

"We agreed connected refunds for those sessions and I person paid them.

"The bulk of parents person been incredibly knowing and I person received a immense magnitude of affirmative references and I proceed to enactment hard, delivering section sessions."

A spokeswoman for Action Fraud confirmed a ailment had been made astir Harding.