He began his career with Newtown before joining Football League side Manchester City and Grimsby Town.
He spent five years at the club,[1] helping the side to victory in the 1895 Welsh Cup final in a 3–2 win over Wrexham.
At City, he joined up with fellow Welshman Billy Meredith who described Chapman as "a capital centre-half who never knew when he was beaten".
During his time with Grimsby, he became one of the club's first international players when he and teammate Hugh Morris played in a 4–0 defeat to England in 1897.
He spent three years with Chatham but was forced to move on when the club suffered financial difficulties and folded in 1901.