page_title: Katie Chapman
section_title: International career
hierarchical_section_title: Katie Chapman / International career
caption_attribution_description: Lianne Sanderson of England Women's before the international friendly against USA.
context_page_description: Katie Sarah Chapman is an English former footballer who last played for English FA WSL club 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 has been 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.
context_section_description: As a 16-year-old, Chapman was called into the England U–18 team, and captained her country at that level. Chapman made her senior debut for England at 17, during the 2001 UEFA Women's Championship qualification tournament, replacing Samantha Britton after 73 minutes of a 1–0 win over Switzerland in Bristol on 6 May 2000. Chapman's first senior start came in an 8–0 reverse to Norway in June 2000. Despite the heavy defeat she was praised for her performance by national coach Hope Powell. England qualified for the final tournament with Chapman named Player of the Match in the away leg of the play-off win over Ukraine.
  At the 2001 UEFA Women's Championship finals, Chapman played in all three of England's games and was praised for her performances by UEFA and the victorious German coach Tina Theune-Meyer.
  In March 2002 Chapman headed her first goal for England in a 4–1 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification win in the Netherlands. She was named FA International Player of the Year for 2002. Without Chapman – pregnant with her first child – England eventually failed to reach the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup after a play-off defeat to France.
  Despite a hand injury, Chapman also played every minute of all three games for England at the 2005 UEFA Women's Championship, now featuring in midfield as she did at club level. Her initial appearances for the national team had come in central defence. At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup Chapman started three matches, missing the group game against Argentina after picking up her second booking of the tournament during an impressive performance against Germany.
  On Chapman's return to the team she scored two goals in a Cyprus Cup win over South Africa in March 2009. It was her first appearance for England since October 2007, due to the birth of her second child. In May 2009, Chapman was one of the first 17 female players to be given central contracts by The Football Association. She was an ever-present in midfield during England's run to the 2009 UEFA Women's Championship final. In 2010 Chapman was named FA International Player of the Year for the second time.
  Ahead of a March 2011 friendly against United States, Chapman unexpectedly withdrew from the England squad and quit international football. The decision, related to Chapman's family commitments, was reported to have left England's World Cup preparations in disarray. Hope Powell praised Chapman as "a wonderful servant to England over the years". Chapman later confirmed she had been unhappy about a perceived lack of support with childcare costs and arrangements while on international duty. At the 2011 World Cup, Powell stressed that the FA had tried hard to accommodate Chapman's requirements: "Katie was away with us in 2009 when we paid for her family to come along but at the end of the day there is not a bottomless pit of money in the women's game."
  In September 2013, after Powell had been sacked, Chapman gave an interview to BBC Radio 5 Live in which she lamented her treatment. Chapman recalled that she asked for time off to look after her children in a brief conversation with Powell, only to receive an e-mail cancelling her central contract three hours later. She clarified that she had never retired from international football and that she still wanted to return and win 100 caps.
  Powell's successor Mark Sampson eventually recalled Champman to the national team squad in February 2015, for a friendly against the United States in Milton Keynes. In May 2015 Sampson confirmed Chapman in his final squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, to be hosted in Canada. During the tournament Chapman celebrated her 33rd birthday and her husband and three sons flew out for a surprise visit. Despite her selection she made further public criticisms of the FA's ongoing lack of childcare arrangements. England eventually finished in third place after Chapman, starting her fifth match of the tournament, helped them beat Germany 1–0 in the bronze medal play-off.
  Chapman's final appearance for England came in April 2016. In September 2017 she accused Sampso
caption: Training with England in 2015
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