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.
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.[1] He had also taken charge of 11 "A" International matches between 1903 and 1907, including Wales vs. Scotland on 9 March 1903,[2] and was considered in the top three of world referees.[3] Other Scotland matches he refereed were against Ireland on 26 March 1904[4] and Wales on 6 March 1905[5]
Fred Kirkham also refereed a match between Belgium and Netherlands on 9 March 1913.[6]
Despite claims to the contrary,[3] he did not referee the 1902 FA Cup Final - this was Tom Kirkham from Burslem.
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).[7] His record as a manager is recorded as: played 52, won 25, drew 8 and lost 19.[8]