22-year-old Chapman discusses the importance of match minutes, learning from seniors, and the tough path to finding a number one spot as a young goalkeeper.
Header image: via Blackpool FC
After being released from Blackpool in the summer, Mackenzie Chapman is currently training with other free agents during the PFA pre-season, which is a 10-week coaching programme for players out of contract. Until he signed for Leicester a few days ago, the 22-year-old had been training with former Premier League winner Asmir Begovic, whose contract with Everton recently expired.
As someone who made his English Football League (EFL) debut at the age of 18, Chapman is no stranger to being thrust into the limelight. The young goalkeeper made his first league appearance for Oldham Athletic in October 2020 against Morecambe at Boundary Park.
He credits the decision to join the Latics for his two-year scholarship, instead of an elite academy, as a crucial one in his early development.
“I did my scholarship at Oldham. I was training with the first team as soon as I went in. I was 16 and coming out of school during the Easter holidays to train with the first team”, Chapman recalled. “That was the reason why I went there. I didn't want to stick around at a top academy at the time. I wanted to go in and try and progress to first team football as quickly as possible.
“I wanted to drop down, do a couple of years, and hopefully play a couple of EFL games. It actually worked out that way. I managed to make my debut at 18, and I was straight into the first-team. So, I was really lucky to have that first team exposure. I think I was 15 when I first trained for the first team and I felt good. I held my own, and it put me in good stead.”
After spending time in the academy setups at Accrington Stanley, Burnley, and Manchester United, being thrown into senior level training and matches was a big change for Chapman. The experience at Oldham was invaluable for the 22-year-old, though, and the major differences when transitioning from academy football to senior football weren’t lost on him.
“I would say the pace that they hit the football. When you're playing with players your own age, for example, 15- and 16-year-olds, their bodies are not developed yet. Then you're going into senior football, and you've got big men, big strikers striking the ball at you. How to combat that? I don't really know, I think you just have to be hit a couple of times and realise it doesn't really hurt!
“Sometimes you just have to take one in the face, take one in the chest and after a couple of seconds, a manager might make a big reaction about it because it's a big thing because there might be a little bit of blood or something. But it doesn't actually hurt that much. Goalkeepers are weird, aren’t they, so they actually like that feeling of being hit and making a good save. There’s a good saying, ‘it only hurts if it goes in the back of the net’.”
Just under a year after making his first-team debut with Oldham, Chapman signed for Oxford United in August 2021. In the 2021/22 season, he spent loan spells at Banbury United and St Ives Town, who played in the Southern League Premier Central, which is the seventh tier of the English pyramid.
“It doesn't matter the level, whether it's a League One or a Premier League striker or a non-league striker, if they hit the ball properly, and put it in the top corner, you have to save it in the same way”, said Chapman. The importance of non-league exposure for young goalkeepers looking to gain experience in search of a number one spot at a higher level is something the 22-year-old believes in and has experienced.
He added: “Sometimes you need to disregard the level to an extent, as you need to get the games in and get the experience. Sometimes it's actually harder to go to that level because you've got bad pitches, bobbly back passes, you’re getting abuse from people that can actually touch you from the stands close behind the goal. All these kinds of things that you have to do as a young goalkeeper and it certainly made me stronger. It's all great learning experiences.”
Chapman went on to join Bolton Wanderers’ B team at the end of the 2022/23 season but was released when his contract expired. In the summer of 2023, he trialled at various clubs, earning himself a contract with League One Blackpool in July. He spent two seasons at the Seasiders, operating as the club’s third-choice goalkeeper. Despite never making a first-team appearance for Blackpool, Chapman discussed the importance of learning from other goalkeepers, including Daniel Grimshaw, who operated as the club’s number one in the 2023/24 season.
“I've never worked with anyone as low maintenance as Daniel Grimshaw, and I think that's why he was so consistent with his performances”, he opined. “If it was a really big game, like when we played Nottingham Forest away in the FA Cup, and then we played a Papa John's game against Barrow and there was no one there on a Tuesday night, his mentality and composure remained the same. He just wanted to go in, do his job, make saves, and help the team.
“I think quite a lot of goalkeepers, especially younger goalkeepers, can be on that emotional rollercoaster. So, to learn from Daniel Grimshaw, who treated every game the same was really important for me.”
Chapman now finds himself training as part of the PFA pre-season camp, with other free agents including Adam Reach, Connor Wood, and Saidou Khan. When selecting his next club, the 22-year-old goalkeeper is keen to get game time and build on his existing experience in the lower leagues. Instead of settling for a squad position at a higher level, Chapman believes that being the first-choice somewhere is the next step in his development.
“That's the one thing I've learned about football is that it’s so hard to predict what's going to happen”, he admitted. “I'm at a stage in my lifestyle where I want to play every week. I spoke to clubs about coming in and being a training goalkeeper, being supportive, and I've been really flattered and honoured to have those conversations and to feel a little bit wanted, but I feel like I’m in the stage in my life where I want to compete to play.
“I want to help the team on the pitch as much as I can. It's so difficult for a young goalkeeper, so difficult. A lot of owners, a lot of chairmen, directors of football, managers, want older, experienced goalkeepers. That's what I’ve found. But I've kept trying to plug away.”
Speaking about his desire to play regular first-team football, Chapman said: “I want to play as many games as possible. I would rather play in League Two than sit on the bench in the Premier League. That's what you get into football for.
“You don't get into football because you’re thinking about money or thinking about contracts or anything like that. That comes with a job if you do well, okay, that's in the back of your mind, but my main motivation is to keep improving. I’m a young goalkeeper, and I’ve got so much to learn. I want to play every single week.”
Chapman’s determination to find the right opportunity for him is evident. He has shown in his career to date that he’s not afraid to experience the lower leagues and get valuable playing time.
His advice for young goalkeepers searching for a number one spot after transitioning from the academy game is clear. Find ways to get game time at a lower level and learn from more experienced, established goalkeepers when you get the chance to.
From then on, it’s all about match minutes.
