Katie Chapman

Katie Sarah Chapman (born 15 June 1982) is an English former professional footballer who notably played for FA WSL clubs Arsenal Ladies and Chelsea Ladies and was a member of the England women's national team. She primarily played as a central midfielder, although she was also deployed in central defence while playing for England. Chapman was described as "a physical player who handles a brunt of the dirty work in the middle of the pitch." Her playing ability, profile and influence have drawn comparisons to former England captain David Beckham.

Chapman began her football career playing at primary school in her hometown of Bermondsey. At ten years old, she joined leading women's club Millwall Lionesses. In the 1996–97 season, Chapman made her senior team debut at the age of 14. She became a regular starter in the team and also participated in the 1997 FA Women's Premier League Cup and FA Women's Cup final wins. In the 1998–99 campaign, Chapman won FA Young Player of the Year award. Already a full England international, she left Millwall in 2000 to sign a professional contract with Fulham. She played on the teams that won back-to-back promotions, as well as the 2001–02 Premier League Cup and 2002 FA Women's Cup. In June 2001 Chapman was again named FA Young Player of the Year. After two years with Charlton Athletic from 2004, Chapman joined Arsenal Ladies and reached prominence with the team in her first season, winning a domestic treble as well as the UEFA Women's Cup. She had missed significant sections of the 2002–03 and 2007–08 seasons through pregnancy, and spent a single season with American Women's Professional Soccer team Chicago Red Stars in 2010, before returning to Arsenal Ladies. After another pregnancy truncated her 2013 season, Chapman moved across London to sign for Chelsea Ladies in January 2014.

Chapman is a former England U–18 captain. She made her senior international debut aged 17 years in May 2000 in a 2001 UEFA Women's Championship qualification match against Switzerland. The following month, she made her first start against Norway. In March 2002 she netted her first senior international goal in a 4–1 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification against the Netherlands. In her first spell with the national team, Chapman represented England at four major international tournaments; UEFA Euro 2001, UEFA Euro 2005, 2007 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2009. A two-time winner of the FA International Player of the Year in 2002 and 2010, Chapman took a break from the national team in March 2011 with a total of 82 caps and eight goals. She was recalled to the England squad in February 2014 by new manager Mark Sampson and helped them finish third at the 2015 FIFA World Cup. Provided by Wikipedia