Chadwick was born in Church, Lancashire and started his career playing in his native county for Accrington and Burton Swifts.
Described in Holley & Chalk's The Alphabet of the Saints as "a powerful and efficient defender, Arthur reached his peak at the turn of the century".
[2] He helped Saints to win the Southern League title in 1897–98 and again in 1898–99 and to the FA Cup final in 1900, defeating three top flight clubs along the way,[3] by when he had been rewarded with two England caps, against Scotland and Wales.
[4] In 1904 Chadwick moved on to Northampton Town, and then returned to Accrington Stanley before joining Exeter City, where he finished his playing career in 1910, although by now he was acting as manager.
Shrewdly Chadwick bought several new players, including forward Willie Haines from Portsmouth and by the end of the 1928–29 season, he had taken Southampton to fourth place, their then best ever position in Division 2.