Scott Kenneth Chipperfield (born 30 December 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker with great physical ability and an eye for goal." He is also known for his versatility in playing in both right and left midfield and as a left sided defender.
Chipperfield was born to Kenneth and Dale Chipperfield in Wollongong, New South Wales. He is of English descent and holds dual Australian-Swiss citizenship, having lived in Switzerland since signing for FC Basel in 2001. He has said that he would be willing to return to Wollongong to play in the future, should a bid to gain a Wollongong based team in the A-League be successful. As a boy, Chipperfield supported Liverpool. During his playing days at Wollongong he worked as a school bus driver part-time. His son, Liam is also a professional footballer who plays for the Swiss club Basel.
Chipperfield played his debut game for the Australia national team in the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane as a substitute during the 3–1 win against Fiji on 25 September in the 1998 Oceania Nations Cup. He scored his first goal for the national team in the game against the Cook Islands just three days later, it was the eleventh goal of the game as Australia won 16–0.
He is perhaps best known in Australia for his loyal and somewhat unexpected appearance at the 2002 OFC Nations Cup in New Zealand, a tournament which was marred by the financial turmoil of the then Soccer Australia. The non-existent financial contribution meant that the Australian players had to pay their own way to get to New Zealand. Chipperfield became the only one of Australia's large Europe-based contingent to answer the call and perform for his country in their time of need.
Chipperfield was part of the team that defeated Uruguay in a playoff in November 2005 to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and was named in Australia's final 23-man squad. At the tournament, Chipperfield played an integral role in the Australian midfield and defence; he was considered to be one of Australia's best players.
On 12 October 2009, Chipperfield announced his intention to retire from the national team immediately after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After the final group game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Serbia, which Australia won 2–1, Chipperfield announced his retirement from international football.
1990-2001 |
1998-2010 |
2001-2012 |
| FC Basel | Appearances | Swiss Super League | 2010-2011 | 21 |
| FC Basel | Goals | Swiss Super League | 2010-2011 | 5 |