Frederick Thomas Kirkham (died 1949) was an English domestic and international football referee, and briefly the football manager for Tottenham Hotspur between 1907 and 1908.
Career as referee
Kirkham was a well-known domestic referee who also had a job as a commercial traveller. He took charge of the 1906 FA Cup Final. He had also taken charge of 11 "A" International matches between 1903 and 1907, including Wales vs. Scotland on 9 March 1903, and was considered in the top three of world referees. Other Scotland matches he refereed were against Ireland on 26 March 1904 and Wales on 6 March 1905
Fred Kirkham also refereed a match between Belgium and Netherlands on 9 March 1913.
Despite claims to the contrary, he did not referee the 1902 FA Cup Final - this was Tom Kirkham from Burslem.
Career as football manager
Just one week after refereeing a Southern League match between Spurs and Watford he was a surprise appointment as manager of Tottenham Hotspur on 22 April 1907. The club's history records that "He was not a success as a manager, unpopular with players and fans alike and it was no surprise when, after the settlement of his contract, he resigned in 1908." (27 July). His record as a manager is recorded as: played 52, won 25, drew 8 and lost 19.
References
External links
- List of all international matches refereed by Fred Kirkham
- Photograph of Kirkham from 1905
