James Hurst (born 31 January 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a defender. He currently plays for Hednesford Town.
His professional career saw him play club football in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion, in the Football League for Blackpool, Shrewsbury Town, Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Crawley Town and Northampton Town, and in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild for ÍBV and Valur. Internationally, he represented England at levels from under-16 to under-20.
Hurst was born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. He came through the ranks at West Bromwich Albion, but declined to sign for them, opting instead for a scholarship with the 2008 FA Cup winners, Portsmouth, who reportedly beat Arsenal, Manchester United and Aston Villa to his signature. He never made a first team appearance for Portsmouth, but did have a loan spell at Icelandic club ÍBV during the summer of 2010, where he scored one goal.