Kelly Chambers (footballer)

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Kelly Chambers
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-01-11) 11 January 1986 (age 36)
Club information
Current team
 Reading (manager)
Youth career
Reading
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2012 Reading
Teams managed
2015– Reading
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Kelly Chambers is an English football manager and former player who currently manages Reading of the FA Women's Super League (FA WSL). She is also Reading's director of football.

As a player, Chambers captained Reading while they were playing in the lower leagues.

Playing career[]

As a player, Chambers captained Reading; however, her playing career ended after an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2012.

Managerial career[]

After her retirement, Chambers was appointed Director of Women's and Girls football, and has remained in this role ever since.[1]

Originally, Chambers became manager of Reading whilst in the third tier of English football. After gaining promotion to the WSL 2, now known as the FA Women's Championship, Jayne Ludlow was appointed manager.[2]

Ludlow guided Reading to a third-place finish in the 2014 WSL 2 season,[1] however stepped down at the end of the season to manage the Wales National Women's Team.[3][2] Chambers has been manager ever since.

Chambers won the 2015 WSL 2 division, earning Reading a promotion to the top flight.[4] Chambers' Reading finished the season, level on points with Doncaster Rovers Belles who also got promoted, but with a goal difference of +46 - four higher than Doncaster who had +42. What made the title victory so impressive, was that it was with a group of players who also had part-time jobs.[2]

Her first season in the WSL, Chambers managed to avoid relegation. Despite only winning one game all season, Reading managed to finish above Doncaster who were relegated.

The 2017/18 WSL season was Reading's highest finish in club history. Chambers secured a fourth-place finish, with a total of 32 points in 18 games.

Since then, Chambers has failed to recreate the success of that season. Her following two seasons (2018/19, 2019/20) both resulted in a fifth-place finish.

In December 2018, Chambers won the November 2018 LMA (League Managers Association) Manager of the Month Award.[5] Victories against Bristol City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Everton, saw Chambers' side take maximum points in November, and jump two places in the table.[5]

Managerial Statistics[]

As of matches played 15 December 2021[6]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Reading (women) 2015 present 138 51 31 56 036.96
Total 138 51 31 56 036.96

Personal life[]

Chambers has a daughter. She also attended Whiteknights primary school in Shinfield.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Big Interview: Reading Women manager Kelly Chambers". The League Paper. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  2. ^ a b c "The hardest working woman in football?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  3. ^ "FAW / National Women's Teams Manager - Jayne Ludow". www.faw.cymru. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  4. ^ "League Tables". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. ^ a b "League Managers Association - LMA MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS - NOVEMBER 2018". leaguemanagers.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  6. ^ "Kelly Chambers Manager Stats". footystats.org. footystats. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  7. ^ Whyatt, Katie. "Kelly Chambers - life as a mum and a manager". The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
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