Luke Chambers

For the English international footballer in under-19 level, see Luke Chambers (footballer, born 2004).

Luke Chambers

Chambers playing for Ipswich Town in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Luke Chambers [1]
Date of birth	(1985-09-28) 28 September 1985 (age 38)
Place of birth	Kettering, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [2]
Position(s)	Centre back / right back
Youth career
2001–2003	Northampton Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2007	Northampton Town	125	(1)
2007–2012	Nottingham Forest	205	(17)
2012–2021	Ipswich Town	376	(18)
2021–2023	Colchester United	86	(2)
Total		792	(38)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:20, 29 September 2023 (UTC)

Luke Chambers (born 28 September 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Primarily a centre back, he could also play at right back. Chambers made 792 appearances in the English Football League, placing him in the top ten list of all time. ^{[3] [4]}

Chambers began his career at Northampton Town, for whom he made over 100 appearances in five years, and Nottingham Forest where he made over 200 appearances. He joined Ipswich Town in July 2012 on a free transfer, and was appointed club captain in 2014. He went on to make over 370 appearances for the club before departing in 2021. He joined Colchester United in June 2021 where he remained until his retirement in 2023.

Club career

Northampton Town

Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, Chambers started his career at local side Northampton Town. After coming through the youth system at Northampton, made first-team his debut for the club against Mansfield in May 2003. He quickly became a regular in the first-team at Northampton, making 29 appearances during his first full season at the club. ^[5] He was named captain by then Northampton manager Colin Calderwood, who later signed him for Nottingham Forest. ^[6]

He helped Northampton win promotion to League One in 2006 after finishing second in League Two during the 2005–06 season, following two consecutive seasons in the play-offs. ^[7] He continued to serve as a first-team regular following Northampton's promotion to League One. His only goal as a Northampton player came against Swansea City in October 2006. ^[8] He made 34 appearances for Northampton across all competitions during the first half of the 2006–07 season before joining Nottingham Forest in January 2007. ^[9]

Nottingham Forest

Chambers playing for Nottingham Forest in 2011

Chambers signed for Forest for an undisclosed fee on 30 January 2007, rejoining former Northampton manager Calderwood. ^[6] His league debut came away against Bradford City. In his first season, he was mainly used as a substitute. During the 2007–08 season, Chambers was played regularly at right-back as part of a Forest defence that kept a record 24 clean sheets, eventually earning them promotion to the Championship. He scored eight goals in total, six of them in the league.

On 4 August 2008, Chambers signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at the City Ground until 2011. ^[10] He began the 2008–09 season again selected at right-back. Criticism was expressed at his ability to fulfill that position at Championship level. ^[11] It wasn't until the arrival of new manager Billy Davies in January 2009 that Chambers was finally selected at centre-back. In the 2008–09 season he scored two goals: ^[12] the first was the decider in a 2–1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday ^[13] and the second came in the last game of the season in a 3–1 home win against relegated Southampton. ^[14]

Chambers started the 2009–10 season as he had ended the last and scoring two goals in the process. This was not enough to keep him in the team however, and the return of Kelvin Wilson from injury, combined with the presence of Chris Gunter at right-back, saw Chambers end the season with a limited number of appearances. ^[15]

At the start of the 2010–11 season, Chambers signed a new two-year contract to keep him at the club until 2012. ^[16] Chambers started the 2010–11 season mainly as a substitute, however due to injuries and the poor form of Kelvin Wilson, he was given an opportunity at centre-back. On 18 December, Chambers scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 home win against Crystal Palace. ^[17] He impressed with consistent performances, keeping Wilson out of the first team and becoming a first choice, alongside Wes Morgan, in the centre of Forest's defence. ^[15] He made 45 league starts, scoring 6 goals including two in the 5–1 win over Scunthorpe United. He was voted Player of the Year for the 2010–11 season. ^{[18] [19]}

Chambers (right) playing for Nottingham Forest in 2010

Chambers' form in the 2010–11 season resulted in interest from the Republic of Ireland national team that Chambers qualifies for through his grandfather. ^[20] On 5 August 2011, just before the start of the 2011–12 season, he was appointed as Nottingham Forest captain by new manager Steve McClaren, ^[21] and continued to skipper the side under the leadership of McClaren's replacement Steve Cotterill. ^[22] However, at the end of a difficult season for Forest, he turned down the offer of a new contract, and at midnight on 30 June 2012 Chambers became a free agent.

Ipswich Town

2012–2014: Arrival and debut seasons

With his contract at Forest set to expire, Chambers was approached by several other Championship sides, before undertaking a medical at Portman Road on 3 July 2012. ^[23] Chambers signed a three-year deal at Ipswich Town on a free transfer on 9 July 2012. ^[24] He made his debut on 14 August 2012, in a 3–1 home win against Bristol Rovers in the League Cup. ^[25] He made his league debut four days later, in a 1–1 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers. ^[26] On 1 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw at home to Huddersfield Town. ^[27] He also captained the club for the first time during the game due to the absence of regular captain Carlos Edwards through injury. ^[28] Playing as a central defender, Chambers was part of an Ipswich defence that kept 12 clean sheets in the last 22 games of the 2012–13 season. ^[29] Chambers impressed in his debut season at Portman Road, being named Town's Players' Player of the year. ^[30]

The 2013–14 season saw Chambers moved to right back, following the arrival of Christophe Berra. Chambers kept his starting place at right back for the entire 2013–14 season, making 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring 3 goals. ^[29] Chambers captained the Blues through the majority of the 2013–14 season, with the current club captain Carlos Edwards out of favour for most of the season. ^[31]

2014–2017: Assuming the captaincy

He continued to be a first team regular during the 2014–15 season. Chambers officially took over the role of club captain following the departure of Carlos Edwards. He made 50 appearances in all competitions across the 2014–15 season, scoring once, as Ipswich finished 6th in the Championship, qualifying for the Championship play-offs as a result. ^[32]

Chambers continued to play primarily as a right back during the 2015–16 season. He made 48 appearances across all competitions, scoring 3 goals, including a 90th-minute winner over Queens Park Rangers at Portman Road on Boxing Day 2015. ^[33]

He once again kept his place at right back for the 2016–17 season, making 48 appearances across the course of the season, scoring 4 goals, his highest goal return in a single season during his time at the club. ^[34] In May 2017 Chambers signed a new two-year deal with the club, keeping him at Portman Road until 2019. This was announced following speculation on his future at the club, with Chambers' former club Nottingham Forest offering him a new contract following the end of the 2016–17 season. ^[35]

2017–2019: Ipswich Player of the season

The 2017–18 season saw Chambers return to the centre of defense, primarily playing alongside Adam Webster. He made a total of 39 appearances in all competitions during the season, including scoring in a 1–1 draw against local rivals Norwich City at Carrow Road on 18 February 2018. ^[36] He was forced to miss out on the final five games of the season due to suffering a cracked rib, following a collision with Ipswich goalkeeper Bartosz Białkowski during a 1–0 loss to Brentford at Griffin Park on 7 April 2018. ^[37] He worked alongside caretaker manager Bryan Klug following the departure of Mick McCarthy towards the end of the 2017–18 season, during this time he expressed his desire to manage Ipswich at some point in the future, he stated "I'd love to have that opportunity here one day. It's a great club. I'd like to think I have given good service here as a player and I want that to continue. It's also a great place to gain experience and progress as a coach." ^[38]

Chambers retained his captaincy following the arrival of Paul Hurst in 2018. ^[39] On 11 August 2018, in a match against Rotherham United at Portman Road, Chambers became Ipswich Town's highest appearance maker this century, having played 281 games for the club. Later that year on 30 November 2018, Chambers made his 300th appearance for the club in a 2–0 loss to Nottingham Forest. ^[40] He made 44 appearances during the 2018–19 season. ^[41] Despite rumors of a potential move to the MLS, in March 2019 Chambers committed his future to the club and signed a new two-year deal, keeping him at the club until 2021. ^[42] Hurst was sacked and replaced by Paul Lambert, who was unable to reverse Ipswich's poor form, and the club was relegated to EFL League One. The relegation ended Ipswich's 17-year stay in the Championship. Chambers won the club's Player of the Year award for the 2018–19 season. ^[43]

2019–2021: Final seasons and departure

He scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season on 17 August, netting a 94th-minute equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Peterborough United at the London Road Stadium. He became the first Ipswich player since 1957 to have scored goals in both the second and third tiers of English football for the club. ^[44] Ipswich finished 11th in League One, despite being tipped as promotion contenders.

He scored in the opening game of the 2020–21 season, scoring a header in a 3–0 win over Bristol Rovers in an EFL Cup match at Portman Road. On 20 October 2020, Chambers moved into the top 10 league appearance makers of all time for Ipswich Town, making his 344th appearance for the club away at Doncaster Rovers and moving into joint 10th place in the list alongside Jimmy Leadbetter, before becoming the 10th highest appearance maker outright in the following game away to Lincoln City on 24 October. ^[45] On 6 March, Chambers scored on his 386th appearance for Ipswich in a match against Gillingham, moving him outright into the top 10 all-time appearance makers for Ipswich Town. ^[46]

On 10 May 2021, Ipswich announced that Chambers would be leaving the club after nine years at Portman Road. His 396th and final appearance came the previous day, where he captained the side to a 3–1 victory against Fleetwood Town. ^[47]

Colchester United and retirement

On 20 June 2021, Chambers joined fellow East Anglian club Colchester United on a free transfer, reuniting him with former teammates Cole Skuse, Tommy Smith and Dean Gerken. He signed a two-year deal with the club. ^[48] He made his Colchester debut on 7 August 2021 in a 0–0 draw away at Carlisle United. ^[49]

On 4 February 2023, Chambers made his 779th league appearance, moving him into the top ten for the most appearances in English league football. ^[50] On 12 May 2023, Colchester confirmed that Chambers would be released upon the expiration of his contract, having made 96 appearances for the club in all competitions during his two year spell. ^[51]

On 3 August 2023, Chambers announced his retirement from football at the age of 37. ^[52]

Chambers was awarded the Sir Tom Finney Award at the 2024 EFL Awards, recognising players who made an outstanding contribution to football and the league. ^[53]

Career statistics

As of match played 8 May 2023

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Northampton Town	2002–03 [54]	Second Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2003–04 [5]	Third Division	24	0	2	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	29	0
	2004–05 [55]	League Two	27	0	2	0	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 2]	0	35	0
	2005–06 [7]	League Two	43	0	4	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	50	0
	2006–07 [9]	League One	29	1	3	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	34	1
	Total		124	1	11	0	7	0	7	0	149	1
Nottingham Forest	2006–07 [9]	League One	14	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 3]	0	16	0
	2007–08 [56]	League One	42	6	3	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	2	48	8
	2008–09 [57]	Championship	39	2	3	0	2	0	—		44	2
	2009–10 [58]	Championship	23	3	2	0	1	1	—		26	4
	2010–11 [59]	Championship	44	6	2	1	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	49	7
	2011–12 [60]	Championship	43	0	1	0	2	0	—		46	0
	Total		205	17	11	1	8	1	5	2	229	21
Ipswich Town	2012–13 [61]	Championship	44	3	0	0	2	0	—		46	3
	2013–14 [62]	Championship	46	3	1	0	1	0	—		48	3
	2014–15 [63]	Championship	45	1	2	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	50	1
	2015–16 [33]	Championship	45	3	1	0	2	0	—		48	3
	2016–17 [34]	Championship	46	4	1	0	1	0	—		48	4
	2017–18 [36]	Championship	37	1	1	0	1	0	—		39	1
	2018–19 [41]	Championship	43	0	0	0	1	0	—		44	0
	2019–20 [64]	League One	31	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	32	1
	2020–21 [65]	League One	39	2	0	0	1	1	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	41	3
	Total		376	18	6	0	11	1	3	0	396	19
Colchester United	2021–22 [66]	League Two	43	1	2	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	2	49	3
	2022–23 [67]	League Two	43	1	1	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	48	1
	Total		86	2	3	0	2	0	6	2	97	4
Career total			791	38	31	1	28	2	21	4	871	45

1. Appearance in Football League Trophy
2. Two appearances in Football League Trophy, Two appearance in League Two play-offs
3. Appearances in League One play-offs
4. Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Northampton Town

• Football League Two runner-up: 2005–06 ^[68]

Nottingham Forest

• Football League One runner-up: 2007–08 ^[69]

Individual

• Nottingham Forest Player of the Year: 2010–11 ^[70]
• Ipswich Town Players' Player of the Year: 2012–13 ^[30]
• Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 2018–19 ^[43]
• Sir Tom Finney Award: 2024 ^[53]

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As of 19 May 2018: Ipswich Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 19. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
2. "Luke Chambers profile". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
3. Waldron, Jonathan (6 February 2023). "Colchester United & ex-Ipswich Town stalwart Luke Chambers in top ten". Daily Gazette . Newsquest . Retrieved 29 September 2023.
4. "Soccerbase: Luke Chambers". Soccerbase. 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
5. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
6. "Forest snap up defender Chambers". BBC Sport. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
7. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
8. "Northampton 1–0 Swansea". BBC Sport. 28 October 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
9. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
10. "Chambers commits future to Forest". BBC Sport. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
11. "Chambers has faith in his ability". BBC Sport. 10 November 2008.
12. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
13. "Nott'm Forest 2–1 Sheff Wed". BBC Sport. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
14. Leitch, Adam (6 May 2009). "Nottingham Forest 3 Southampton 1". Southern Daily Echo. Southampton. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
15. "Luke Chambers gets his rewards with Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
16. "Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers extends deal". BBC Sport. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
17. "Luke's Goal Challenge". Nottingham Forest F.C. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011.
18. "Star Man Luke". Nottingham Forest F.C. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011.
19. "Chambers happy with player award". BBC Sport. 4 May 2011.
20. Gooderham, Dave (9 July 2012). "Luke Chambers signing – new boy not given up on Republic of Ireland call-up". The Green 'Un. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
21. "Luke Who's Captain". Nottingham Forest F.C. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012.
22. "Defensive Headaches". Nottingham Forest F.C. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012.
23. Gooderham, Dave (3 July 2012). "Luke Chambers to have medical at Ipswich Town today". East Anglian Daily Times. Archant. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
24. "Luke Signs Three Year Deal". Ipswich Town F.C. 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
25. "Ipswich 3–1 Bristol Rovers" BBC Sport. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
26. "Ipswich 1–1 Blackburn" BBC Sport. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
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28. "Match Report – Ipswich 2–2 Huddersfield" Archived 19 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ipswich Town F.C. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
29. Watson, Stuart (30 October 2013). "Luke Chambers' role at right-back is 'under no threat', says Mick McCarthy". The Green 'Un. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013.
30. "Chambers Players' Player of the Year". TWTD. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
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32. "Luke Chambers at Soccerbase" . Retrieved 22 June 2019.
33. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
34. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
35. "Skipper Chambers Signs New Deal". TWTD. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
36. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
37. "Chambers Expected to Miss Rest of Season With Cracked Rib". TWTD. 7 April 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
38. "Chambers: I'd Love to Manage Town One Day". TWTD. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
39. "Luke Chambers confirmed by Paul Hurst as Ipswich Town captain". Sports Mole. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
40. "Watch as Blues boss Lambert presents captain Chambers with a shirt to mark 300th appearance". 30 November 2018.
41. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
42. "Captain Chambers signs new Ipswich contract... And he's already eyeing another century of Town games". 15 March 2019.
43. "Chambo Named Player of the Year". Ipswich Town F.C. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
44. "Peterborough United 2-2 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
45. "Chambers moves into Town's top 10 alongside heroes and legends... but how high can the skipper go?". East Anglian Daily Times. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
46. "Gillingham 3 – 1 Town". Ipswich Town F.C. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
47. "Great Role Models Move On". Ipswich Town F.C. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
48. "Colchester United sign Ipswich's Luke Chambers & Cambridge's Luke Hannant". BBC Sport. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
49. "Carlisle United 0–0 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
50. "Luke Chambers: Colchester United defender vows to carry on after reaching league appearances top 10". BBC Sport. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
51. https://www.cu-fc.com/news/2023/may/retained-list/ ^{[ bare URL ]}
52. "'An unbelievable ride' - Iconic ex-Town skipper Chambers announces his retirement". 3 August 2023.
53. "Paul Stewart presented with the Contribution to League Football Award". www.efl.com. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
54. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
55. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
56. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
57. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
58. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
59. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
60. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
61. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
62. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
63. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
64. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
65. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
66. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
67. "Games played by Luke Chambers in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
68. "Northampton win seals promotion". BBC Sport. 29 April 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
69. "Nott'm Forest 3-2 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
70. "Star Man Luke". Nottingham Forest F.C. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2019.

External links

• Luke Chambers profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website
• Luke Chambers at Soccerbase