James Chambers, born 14 February 1987 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, is an Irish former professional footballer who played for Shelbourne,

Waterford United Waterford Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Phort Láirge) formerly Waterford United Football Club is an List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ir ...

, Drogheda United,

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most suc ...

(2 spells) and St Patrick's Athletic (2 spells) in Ireland, Solihull Moors in England,

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the 2020–21 Scotti ...

in Scotland and

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

in the United States.

Club career

Shelbourne

James Chambers played for Shelbourne since he was 11 years of age. He has also been capped for Ireland at every level from 15's right up to 23's. He started out with the schoolboy teams and made his breakthrough into the first team during the 2004 season, at the age of 17, including being part of the Shelbourne squad during their successful 2004 European campaign. He did not make his first official first team appearance for Shelbourne until 15 August 2005 when he made his

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

debut coming on as a 2nd half substitute during a 1–0 defeat to

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...

at Turner's Cross. To aid James with his development and to gain valuable experience, he was loaned out to

for the 2006 season and instantly became a regular in their starting XI. On 24 February 2007, Chambers received a call up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad by manager Don Givens. Chambers returned to Shelbourne for the 2007 season but he was entering upon a very unfamiliar environment at the

Tolka Park Tolka Park ( ga, Páirc na Tulchann) is an Ireland, Irish Association football, football ground located in the Northside Dublin, north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, Dublin, Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently th ...

club. Shelbourne were now in financial meltdown and were uncertain over their participation for the 2007 season. After the club was demoted to the First Division, he made the decision to stay at Shels despite their demotion and keen interest in him from numerous Premier Division clubs. As only one of two first team players retained by Shelbourne for the 2007 season, Chambers' talents were now of great importance to Shelbourne and he has become one of the first names on the Shels teamsheet due to many impressive performances. He scored his first senior goal for Shelbourne with a delightful equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Monaghan United at

on 13 April 2007.

Move to Britain

Chambers departed Shelbourne after 10 years at the end of the 2008 season to move to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. He made a total of 73 league and cup appearances for Shelbourne scoring 8 times. He went on trial at

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is the ...

but was ineligible to play matches so he joined Blue Square Conference North side Solihull Moors on 16 January 2009 to get game time. Chambers' stay at Solihull Moors would be brief as he returned to Ireland in March 2009 to join Drogheda United.

Return to Ireland

He made his competitive Drogheda debut on 13 March 2009 in 0–0 draw against Bray Wanderers at United Park. Chambers went on an amazing scoring streak in the 2009 season. He scored nine goals, including the all-important opener against Bray Wanderers in the relegation play-off, a match which finished 2–0 to Drogheda United. Following his impressive season at Drogheda United, Chambers joined

in November 2009. In his first season with 'The Hoops', Chambers scored an impressive 11 league goals and won his first League of Ireland winners medal after Shamrock Rovers won the 2010 Premier Division on the final night of the season.

Hamilton Academical

He moved to

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when th ...

team

on 25 January 201
Hamilton Academical FC
Chambers showed spells of his League of Ireland form whilst playing in the SPL but Hamilton were relegated into the First Division but he left the club after a year.

St Patrick's Athletic

Chambers was signed by Liam Buckley for St Patrick's Athletic in January 2012. Chambers impressed the Pats fans with his superb passing and found himself playing in a midfield role that saw him be the key to his sides attacks beginning. He picked up the

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...

man of the match award for his brilliant display including the assist for the opening goal by Christy Forrester against his old club and

rivals Shamrock Rovers after the Saints ran riot and won 5–1 in a famous night. Chambers set up Christy Fagan's opener against U.C.D after an excellent slipped ball through the defence. Unfortunately Chambers' excellent form for Pats was interrupted for 2 months after he picked up an injury away to

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 ...

. Chambers returned from the bench against Bohemians in fine form and changes the game for Pats to win 2–1. Chambers played in all of the Saints games of their

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

campaign, where they knocked out Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

and

NK Široki Brijeg Nogometni klub Široki Brijeg ( en, Široki Brijeg Football Club) is a professional association football club from the city of Široki Brijeg, that is situated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently, Široki Brijeg plays in the Premier League of ...

from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

before being knocked out by German giants

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...

in front of 25,000 people at the AWD-Arena. He played in the 2012 FAI Cup Final at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...

, as Pats lost 3–2 after extra time to Derry City. Chambers was voted into the 2012 PFAI Team of the Year by his fellow

players, for an excellent season.

Season Back at Rovers

Chambers signed again for The Hoops in November 2012. He won the 2013 League Cup, the 2013 Setanta Cup and the 2013 Leinster Senior Cup (scoring in a 1–0 win over St Pat's in the final), however the season was overall a disappointing one for Chambers as Rovers finished fifth, with his old side Pats winning the league, and he left at the end of the season.

Return to Pats

Chambers signed back for champions St Patrick's Athletic for the 2014 season. Week after week he impressed fans, putting in a string of man of the match performances week in week out and retained his place in the midfield for most of the season amidst competition for places from Keith Fahey,

Killian Brennan Killian Brennan (born 31 January 1984) is an Irish retired footballer who played as a midfielder in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Career Early career Noted for his wing play and ability to fire in accurate crosses, Brennan was signe ...

, Greg Bolger and Lee Lynch. The Saints disappointingly only finished third in the league but the season remained a success with third place earning a

spot for next season, winning the 2014 FAI President's Cup, the 2014 Leinster Senior Cup and most impressively, winning the 2014 FAI Cup to end a 53-year drought for the club since last winning the competition. He signed a new contract for the 2015 season in January 2015. On 19 September 2015 Pats won the 2015 League of Ireland Cup against

Galway United Galway United Football Club (Irish: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an Irish association football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They m ...

, with Chambers scoring his penalty in a penalty shoot-out win after a 0–0 draw at

Eamonn Deacy Park Eamonn Deacy Park, formerly known as Terryland Park, is an association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in the Terryland district of Galway. It is owned by the Galway Football Association and is the home ground of both Galway ...

. Chambers had a very impressive season individually in a poor season for the team. He scored 5 goals in all competitions, 3 of them coming direct from freekicks. He was voted at the St Patrick's Athletic Player of the season for 2015 by the club's supporters for his excellent performances. Chambers was also voted into the PFAI Team of the Year by his fellow League of Ireland players.

Bethlehem Steel

Chambers signed for

of United Soccer League on 28 January 2016. Chambers retired after the end of the club's 2019 season.

International career

Chambers made his Republic of Ireland Under 21 debut at the Madeira tournament in Portugal in February 2007. He made 3 appearances for the Irish side in the tournament. In May 2010, Chambers made his Republic of Ireland Under 23 debut against England C in the 2009-11 International Challenge Trophy at the

Waterford Regional Sports Centre The Waterford Regional Sports Centre (or simply, the RSC) is part of Waterford, Waterford Corporation's Municipal sporting facilities and home to Waterford F.C. of the League of Ireland. Waterford moved to the newly opened RSC from their former ...

Career statistics

Honours

Club

(1): ** Shamrock Rovers –

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...

* FAI Cup (1): ** St Patrick's Athletic – 2014 *

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...

(2): ** Shamrock Rovers –

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

** St Patrick's Athletic –

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

Setanta Sports Cup The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of Ir ...

(1): ** Shamrock Rovers –

FAI President's Cup The President of Ireland's Cup, also known simply as the President's Cup, is an association football super cup featuring clubs from the Republic of Ireland football league system. It is a one-off match between the winners of the previous season ...

(1): ** St Patrick's Athletic – 2014 * Leinster Senior Cup (2): ** Shamrock Rovers –

** St Patrick's Athletic – 2014

Individual

*PFAI Team of the Year (2):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gath ...

*St Patrick's Athletic Player of the Year (1):

References

External links

*
James Chambers' profile at www.shelbournefc.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, James Living people 1987 births Association footballers from Dublin (city) Association football midfielders Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland youth international footballers League of Ireland players National League (English football) players Scottish Premier League players Scottish Football League players Shelbourne F.C. players Waterford F.C. players Solihull Moors F.C. players Drogheda United F.C. players Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Hamilton Academical F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Philadelphia Union II players Republic of Ireland under-23 international footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States