Ian Russell Chapman is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 former professional footballer. Born in Brighton

Brighton

Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...

, he spent most of his career with hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....

.

Playing career

As a schoolboy, Chapman was chosen to attend The Football Association

The Football Association

The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

's School of Excellence at Lilleshall Hall

Lilleshall Hall

Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate located near Lilleshall in Shropshire, England. It was founded as an Augustinian Abbey in the 12th century, with its estate running to some...

. When he made his professional debut for Brighton away to Birmingham City

Birmingham City F.C.

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...

 in February 1987, he became the first former pupil of the school to play in The Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

, in addition to being Brighton's youngest ever peacetime player. He went on to make 281 Football League appearances for the "Seagulls". He was part of the team which made the final of the Second Division play-offs

Football League Championship play-offs

The Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...

 in 1991, but during his time at the Goldstone Ground

Goldstone Ground

The Goldstone Ground was a football stadium and home ground of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. between 1902 and 1997. The club currently plays at American Express Community Stadium, a stadium on the outskirts of the city, following the move from their temporary stadium in the Brighton suburb of...

 Brighton also twice suffered relegation

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

, and dropped into the Football League Third Division

Football League Third Division

The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...

 in 1996. Immediately after Brighton's relegation, he was transferred to Gillingham

Gillingham F.C.

Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...

, who had just gained promotion

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 from the Third Division. He only made 23 League appearances for the "Gills", however, before he was forced to retire from professional football due to injuries. He finished his playing career with non-league

Non-league football

Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...

 club Whitehawk

Whitehawk F.C.

Whitehawk F.C. is a football club based in Whitehawk, in Brighton, England.-History:Founded in 1945 as Whitehawk & Manor Farm Old Boys, the club joined the Sussex County League in 1952/53 and after finishing third in their inaugural season, were runners-up for three successive seasons from 1954/55,...

 of the Sussex County League. In 1999 he made one last bid to return to professional football when he had a trial with former club Brighton. but his injury problems prevented him gaining a contract with the club.

Managerial career

After his playing career finished, Chapman became manager of Whitehawk. In October 2006 he returned to former club Brighton in a coaching role, initially in a part-time capacity while remaining manager of Whitehawk.

At the end of the 2006–07 season

2006-07 in English football

The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...

 he dedicated himself to the job at Brighton full-time, resigning from his job with Whitehawk.

He left his job at Brighton in 2008, however, after the departure of Dean Wilkins

Dean Wilkins

Dean Mark Wilkins is an English former footballer and the ex manager of English football team Brighton & Hove Albion. Wilkins was temporarily in charge of Southampton, after the sacking of Alan Pardew, but was succeeded by Nigel Adkins after only 3 games.-Club career:Born in Hillingdon, Wilkins...

, the manager who had brought him to the club. He was said to be in the running to take over as manager of Isthmian League

Isthmian League

The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...

 team Crowborough Athletic

Crowborough Athletic F.C.

Crowborough Athletic F.C. is a football club based in Crowborough, England. They joined the Sussex County League Division Two in 1974. In the 1993–94 season, they reached the 2nd round of the FA Vase, and bettered this with a run to the 5th round in 2008. Their best performance in FA Cup was third...

, but was not offered the job.

He later coached Conference National

Conference National

Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...

 strugglers Lewes

Lewes F.C.

Lewes Football Club is an English football team based in Lewes, East Sussex. The club are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at the Dripping Pan.-History:...

on a casual basis while looking for another full-time job in the sport.