Ethan Alexis Chislett (born 11 August 1998) is a South African professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

South African Premiership The South African Premiership, also known as the Betway Premiership for sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as the PSL after its governing body, is a professional soccer league in South Africa and the highest level of the South Afr ...

club

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) is a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premiership. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Kings" or "Chiefs" in Zu ...

. Chislett spent his formative years

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...

, Metropolitan Police and Basingstoke Town, though developed quickly with a spell in Spain with Reddis. He returned to Metropolitan Police and managed to win a move back to Aldershot Town, where he would score nine

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

goals in the 2019–20 season. He was then signed to

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

in August 2020 and played 123 games in three seasons, top-scoring from midfield in the 2022–23 campaign. He joined

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...

in July 2023 and was promoted out of League Two with the club at the end of the 2024–25 season. He returned to South Africa to sign for Kaizer Chiefs in July 2025.

Early life

Ethan Alexis Chislett was born on 11 August 1998 in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, South Africa. His grandfather, Gordon Chislett, represented the

South Africa national soccer team The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international association football, soccer and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for soccer in South Africa. Nicknamed Bafana Bafana (The ...

. His father, Donovan, played soccer professionally in South Africa and was the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the under-18's at Metropolitan Police until September 2021. The family moved to England in 2005.

Career

Early career

Chislett spent time with

youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...

Guildford Saints before joining the

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, where he was released at the age of 14 for being too small. He then spent two years with

, before joining Metropolitan Police, helping the under-18s to reach the fourth round of the

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

before he progressed onto the senior team in the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

Premier Division in 2015. In October 2016, he briefly joined Southern League Premier Division club Basingstoke Town, before moving to Spain, where Chislett played for Reddis and also had a trial at Belgian club

Eupen Eupen (, , ; ; ; former ) is the capital of German-speaking Community of Belgium and is a city and municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian Liège Province, province of Liège, from the Germany, German border (Aachen ...

. He scored five goals in 19

Segona Catalana The Segona Catalana is the eighth tier of the Spanish football league system and the third highest league in the autonomous community of Catalonia. The league was formed in 2011 to replace Territorial Preferent as second level of Catalonia and w ...

matches for Reddis. He credited his career to his time in Spain, saying the change of culture taught him a lot. He was due to sign with Pobla Mafumet before the club dismissed their

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. Chislett returned to England to rejoin Metropolitan Police for the 2018–19 season, with manager Gavin Macpherson expressing a wish to promote youth. He played in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

first round defeat to Newport County on 10 November, with

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...

reporting that "Ethan Chislett should have levelled for Met, but headed straight at Joe Day". He was part of the side that won the Southern League Premier Division South play-offs before losing to

Tonbridge Angels Tonbridge Angels Football Club is a professional association football club based in Tonbridge, Kent, England. The team competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded as Tonb ...

in the one-off super play-off final, in which Chislett scored the opening goal. On 18 June 2019, he re-joined Aldershot Town in the

. He said the move up two divisions went well as the "transition was quite smooth". He scored nine goals in 38 games in all competitions in the curtailed 2019–20 season to finish as the club's top-scorer. Manager Danny Searle said the club was proud to have given him a platform to secure a move into the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

. Italian club

Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

had also reportedly offered him a deal.

AFC Wimbledon

On 12 August 2020, Chislett signed for

, with manager

Glyn Hodges Glyn Peter Hodges (born 30 April 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former professional player. During his playing career he played for Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Watford, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Derby County, Hull City, Nottingham ...

impressed by his creative spark and the prior success of former Met Police signing

Nesta Guinness-Walker Nesta Pierre Guinness-Walker (born 14 September 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back for club Northampton Town. Personal life He is the grandson of actor Matthew Guinness and the great-grandson of actor Sir Ale ...

. He made his debut at

Plough Lane Plough Lane, currently known as the Cherry Red Records Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose football stadium in Wimbledon, south-west London, which has been the home of AFC Wimbledon since 3 November 2020. A groundshare with rug ...

in the

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...

against

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

on 1 September. He scored his first goal for the Dons in a 2–2 draw with

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

on 12 September; he scored just twenty seconds into the match in what was his

EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...

debut. He set a goal target of ten for the

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

campaign, though would instead score three goals from 36 games. He lost his first-team place under Mark Robinson in the 2021–22

relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

season, though won back a starting place in January following a run of 13 games on the bench. He was given more freedom to join the attack by new manager

Johnnie Jackson John Alec Jackson (born 15 August 1982) is an English professional football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder or as a defender. He is the manager of club AFC Wimbledon. Club career Tottenham Hotspur Born in Camden, Lon ...

in the

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

season, playing on the right side of midfield in a partnership with Harry Pell as the club struggled to adapt to

EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...

. He was offered a new

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

as he finished as the club's top-scorer with eleven goals and three assists in 51 games, also being named as Players’ Player of the Year. He was reported to be a target for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

and

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...

Port Vale

On 3 July 2023, Chislett signed for League One side

on a two-year deal, and was hailed by manager

Andy Crosby Andrew Keith Crosby (born 3 March 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager at club Tranmere Rovers. A defender during his playing days, he began his career at Leeds United. Still, he made his de ...

as "an incredible asset". He scored two goals on his home debut at

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...

, a 3–2 victory over

Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Established in 1997, the current Flee ...

in the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

on 8 August; his first was described in '' The Sentinel'' as a "wonderful flighted shot from the edge of the

penalty area The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. If any part of the ball is ove ...

" and the second was a diving header. The first goal won him the competition's goal of the round award. On 16 December, he scored his first career

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 3–2 win over

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

, showing the end product that had previously been lacking in what was statistically the club's most effective player by the mid-season stage. The performance saw him named as the League One Player of the Week. Having been dropped by new manager

Darren Moore Darren Mark Moore (born 22 April 1974) is a professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the manager of club Port Vale. Moore was born in Birmingham, though represented Jamaica at international level. He ...

, Chislett won back his first-team place to help the Vale to record back-to-back wins at the end of March. He scored eleven goals from midfield, though could not prevent the club from being relegated at the end of the 2023–24 season. On 7 September 2024, he scored in a 4–1 win at Newport County and was subsequently named in the EFL League Two Team of the Week. He was away on compassionate leave in January following a family bereavement and was subject to offers on transfer deadline day, which the club rejected. He was released upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2024–25 promotion-winning season.

Kaizer Chiefs

On 1 July 2025, Chislett returned to his home country to sign a three-year deal with

club

. His agent said that he rejected a formal offer from

Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...

in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

to join the Chiefs.

Style of play

Chislett is a

with flair and elegance on the ball, although he is weak at

heading Heading can refer to: * Heading (metalworking), a process which incorporates the extruding and upsetting processes * Heading (navigation), the direction a person or vehicle is facing, usually similar to its course ** Aircraft heading, the directi ...

the ball.

David Flitcroft David John Flitcroft (born 14 January 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player. His older brother is the former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City player Garry Flitcroft. A midfielder, Flitcroft began his career a ...

, the

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...

at Port Vale, said that Chislett "is a player that loves to find space in between midfield players and defenders... his timing of runs into the box to create goalscoring opportunities is outstanding". He is also an accomplished

free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...

taker.

Career statistics

Honours

Port Vale *

second-place promotion: 2024–25

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chislett, Ethan 1998 births Living people Soccer players from Durban White South African people South African men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders Southampton F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Metropolitan Police F.C. players Basingstoke Town F.C. players AFC Wimbledon players Port Vale F.C. players Kaizer Chiefs F.C. players Isthmian League players Southern Football League players National League (English football) players English Football League players South African Premier Division players South African expatriate men's soccer players South African expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England South African expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain 21st-century South African sportsmen