Fred Spiksley - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Fred Spiksley was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

footballer and coach, who played as a forward for Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

and England

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

. He also played for Gainsborough Trinity, Glossop North End

Glossop North End A.F.C.

Glossop North End A.F.C. are an English football club based in Glossop, Derbyshire. Former members of the Football League, they are currently in the North West Counties League and are members of the Derbyshire County Football Association. They play their home matches at Surrey Street, which has a...

, Leeds City, Watford

Watford F.C.

Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

and in 1907 became the only professional footballer to play for the Corinthians. After retiring as a player in 1906 he worked as a coach and won national league titles in Sweden

Swedish football champions

Swedish football champions is a title held by the winners of the highest Swedish football league played each year, Allsvenskan. IFK Göteborg holds the record of most titles with 18 Swedish championships. After winning the 2011 Allsvenskan, Helsingborgs IF are the reigning Swedish football...

, Mexico

Primera División de México

The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...

and Germany

German football champions

The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century.Brought to the country by English...

. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben

Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp

Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, then a village to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf...

, a civilian detention camp in Germany.

He died on Ladies' Day at Goodwood Racecourse

Goodwood Racecourse

Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...

in 1948.

Early career

Spiksley initially played as a junior for Gainsborough Jubilee Swifts. In 1887 he helped them reach the semi-finals of the Lincolnshire Junior Cup, finishing the competition as top scorer with 31 goals in 6 games. On 19 March 1887 at the age of 17 he made his senior debut for Gainsborough Trinity in a game against Notts Jardines. Although Trinity lost 3–1, Spiksley created the team's only goal, providing his captain Billy Brown with a simple tap in after a good run. During his first season at Trinity he scored 31 goals in 29 games and was the teams second highest goalscorer behind Jack Madden, later to play for Scotland

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

and Celtic

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

. He also scored twice on both his FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

debut, a 7–0 victory over Boston Town

Boston Town F.C.

Boston Town F.C. is an English football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division and play at Tattershall Road.-History:...

, and in the final of the Gainsborough News Charity Cup. In his second season Spiksley scored 28 goals in 21 games and, despite breaking his leg on his 19th birthday in a Gainsborough News Charity cup tie against The Wednesday Football Club

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

, he was the team's leading goal-scorer for the 1888–89 season. During the 1889–90 season Spiksley won a cup double, helping Trinity win both the Lincolnshire F.A. Cup and the Gainsborough News Charity Cup and during the 1890–91 season he was a prominent member of the Trinity team that won the Midland League

Midland Football League

There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....

Sheffield Wednesday

In January 1891 he almost signed for Accrington F.C.

Accrington F.C.

Accrington Football Club were an English football club from Accrington, Lancashire, who were one of the founder members of The Football League. Accrington F.C. was formed following a meeting at a local public house in 1876...

but asked for time to consider their offer before signing. However while travelling to Accrington

Accrington

Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...

he stopped in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

and was persuaded by two directors, John Holmes and Fred Thompson, to sign for Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

. He subsequently spent the next eleven seasons at Wednesday scoring 100 goals in 293 league appearances. He also scored a further 14 goals in 28 FA Cup

FA Cup

appearances, starting with a brace in a memorable 4–1 victory over League side Bolton Wanderers in 1892. He scored twice in the 1896 FA Cup Final as Wednesday beat Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

2–1. Along with his two goals, Spiksley's back-heels stole the show during the final. He also helped them win the English Second Division

Football League Second Division

From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

in 1900 and the English First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

in 1903.

Fred Spiksley - matches for Sheffield Wednesday:

Season:	1891-92	1892-93	1893-94	1894-95	1895-96	1896-97	1897-98	1898-99	1899–1900	1900-01	1901-02	1902-03	Total
Matches:	3	31	33	33	35	28	32	30	34	14	27	34	324
Goals:	2	18	16	10	13	10	17	3	10	4	5	8	116

Southern United

In the 1905–06 season Fred Joined a new club called Southern United

Southern United F.C.

Southern United F.C. was an English football club based in the Nunhead area of London.Established in 1905, the club entered teams into Division Two of the Southern League and Division One of the London League...

. The club was based in London, but has been lost in history with many people thinking that Fred actually played for Southend United. Southend formed a year later and played in the Southern League Division 2, just like Southern United had done the previous season. So it is easy to see why people have got it wrong. The Southern United story is a short but fascinating one that will feature in Fred Spiksley's biography - Flying Over an Olive Grove.

England International

Spiksley also played 7 times and scored 5 goals for England

England national football team

and helped them win the British Home Championship

British Home Championship

The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...

in both 1893 and 1898. In 1893 he scored a hat-trick on his debut against Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

in a 6–0 win. Other goalscorers on that day included Jack Reynolds and John Goodall

John Goodall

John Goodall was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre-forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903...

. He then scored a further two goals in a 5–2 win over Scotland

Scotland national football team

. In 1894 he scored his fifth goal in three games in 2–2 draw with Ireland

Ireland national football team (IFA)

The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...

. Spiksley’s other England team mates included Steve Bloomer

Steve Bloomer

Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...

and Ernest Needham

Ernest Needham

Ernest 'Nudger' Needham was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football 14 times for England and captained the side in 1901....

. On 14 March 1903 Spiksley also scored once for the English League XI

Football League First Division

in a 3–0 win over the Scottish League XI

Scottish Football League

The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...

at Celtic Park

Celtic Park

Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...

.

Spiksley's England goal record has been disputed by several sources - but is in fact quite clear. In his book 50 Years of Football 1895-1934, Sir Frederick Wall, secretary of the Football Association, claims that in 1893 Spiksley actually scored a hat-trick against Scotland.

Fred Spiksley - matches for England:

Date:	13 March 1893	1 April 1893	3 March 1894	7 April 1894	7 March 1896	28 March 1898	2 April 1898
Opponent:	Wales	Schottland	Irland	Schottland	Irland	Wales	Schottland
Result:	6-0	5-2	2-2	2-2	2-0	3-0	3-1

Sweden

After retiring as a player in 1906, Spiksley embarked on a well-travelled career as a coach. In 1911 he accepted a position with AIK Stockholm

AIK Fotboll

AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...

and guided them to the Swedish Championship

Swedish football champions

. He was briefly appointed coach of Swedish national team

Sweden national football team

The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...

. However his spell was cut short following a dispute between two rival factions within the Swedish Football Association

Swedish Football Association

The Swedish Football Association is the governing body of football in Sweden. It organises the football leagues — Allsvenskan for men and Damallsvenskan for women — and the men's and women's national teams. It is based in Solna and is a founding member of both FIFA and UEFA...

. Spiksley was seen as the Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

candidate and his appointment was opposed by the Gothenburg

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

faction. In 1912 the association offered Spiksley the job once again. However on this occasion he declined.

Germany

By 1913 Spiksley was in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, first with TSV 1860 München

TSV 1860 München

Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...

and then 1. FC Nuremberg. However while there, the First World War broke out and Spiksley and his son, Fred Jr, were interned at Ruhleben

Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp

, a civilian detention camp near Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. The camp contained between 4,000 and 5,500 prisoners and gradually a mini-society evolved and football became a popular activity. Spiksley was one of several former professional footballers in the camp. Others included fellow former England

England national football team

internationals Fred Pentland

Fred Pentland

Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland was an English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for, among others, Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and England. However he is best remembered for his career as a manager in Spain where he coached several clubs including Athletic...

, Samuel Wolstenholme

Samuel Wolstenholme

Samuel Wolstenholme was an English footballer who played for, among others Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and England. He played alongside Steve Bloomer and Vivian Woodward in the England teams that won the British Home Championship in 1904 and 1905...

and Steve Bloomer

Steve Bloomer

, a Scotland

Scotland national football team

international, John Cameron, a German

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

international Edwin Dutton

Edwin Dutton

Edwin Dutton is a former Anglo-German footballer and coach. Dutton played as a forward for Britannia Berlin 92, BFC Preussen, Newcastle United and Germany. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in Germany...

, and John Brearley

John Brearley

John Brearley is a former English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for several clubs, most notably Millwall Athletic, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. He was able to play in at least five outfield positions, but had a preference for playing inside-right...

, once of Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

and Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

.

Cup and league competitions were organised and as many as 1,000 attended the bigger games. The teams adopted the names of established teams and on 16 November 1914 Spiksley played in a cup final between an Oldham Athletic team and a Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

team. It is uncertain which team Spiksley played for but the Oldham team was basically a Public School XI. It is therefore more likely that he played for Tottenham along with Bloomer and Dutton. The game itself was refereed by Wolstenholme. Spiksley escaped from Ruhleben in early 1915 and, after briefly returning to England

England

, he sailed to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and worked in a munitions factory in Pittsburgh.

Later coaching career

By 1918 he was working as a coach in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. In 1921 he returned to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and eventually made his way to Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. While there he coached Reforma AC

Reforma AC

The Reforma Athletic Club is a Mexican football team that played in the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association prior to the development of the professional Mexican first division. The club now plays in an amateur league in Mexico City.-History:...

and Real Club España

Real Club España

Real España Club was a football club from Mexico City team that played in Mexican first division. España was one of the most popular teams at the time Romántica of Mexican football. During the Amateur era they won 14 League titles and 4 Mexican Cups...

. Both teams played in the Primera Fuerza, a Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

-based league whose champions were also considered to be champions of Mexico. In 1924 Spiksley guided España to the Primera Fuerza title. He then returned to England and between 1924 and 1926 he worked as an assistant coach at Fulham

Fulham F.C.

Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

. During his time at Fulham the club embarked on a successful FA Cup

FA Cup

run and knocked out an Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

team that included Dixie Dean

Dixie Dean

William Ralph Dean , better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football...

. He subsequently returned to Germany and rejoined 1. FC Nuremberg whom he led to the German football champions

German football champions

hip in 1927.

In 1931 Spiksley was invited back to Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage is the name of a football stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896....

by Fulham to make a series of training films with two players, Barrett and Oliver. A section of the film has survived. In the film he demonstrates his famous back-heel.
Between 1933 and 1936 Spiksley took over coaching responsibilities for the King Edward VII School football team in Sheffield. During his time there the First XI were unbeaten against school opposition. This achievement was recognised in an unusual way when the 'Ardath Tobacco Company' included the school team of 1935–36 in their Cigarette Card Collection for the season; this was alongside all the top football teams of the day.

Biography

Spiksley had several items published;

In 1907, his reminiscences were published

Letters to a Swedish journalist were turned into an early Swedish book on how to play football

In 1920 his Autobiography was written and published as a newspaper serial

In 1928 Fred wrote a serial in a newspaper teaching people how to train and play football, each week looking at a different position or skill.

His autobiography was only discovered in 2007 and is over 56,000 words long. The Fred Spiksley biography - Flying Over an Olive Grove is currently being written with an aim for publication before 2010. This will feature over 200 never seen before photographs and illustrations.

Honours

Player

Gainsborough Trinity

Gainsborough News Charity Cup Winner:2
- 1888, 1890

Lincolnshire Football Association Challenge Cup Winner:1
- 1890

Midland League Champions
Midland Football League
There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....

: 1
- 1890-91

Sheffield Wednesday

English First Division Champions
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

: 1
- 1902-03

FA Cup Winner
FA Cup Final 1896
The 1896 FA Cup Final was won by The Wednesday at the Crystal Palace, in a victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Tournament format:210 teams entered, a record high for the competition, beating the previous record by some 27 clubs. The qualifiers were whittled down to 32 clubs to participate in the...

: 1
- 1896

English Second Division Champions
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

: 1
- 1899-1900

England

British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...

: 2
- 1893, 1898

Manager/Coach

AIK Stockholm

Swedish Champions
Swedish football champions
Swedish football champions is a title held by the winners of the highest Swedish football league played each year, Allsvenskan. IFK Göteborg holds the record of most titles with 18 Swedish championships. After winning the 2011 Allsvenskan, Helsingborgs IF are the reigning Swedish football...
- 1911

Real Club España

Mexican Champions
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
- 1924

1. FC Nuremberg

German Champions
German football champions
The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century.Brought to the country by English...

: 1
- 1927

Sources

Fred Spiksley: Fred Spiksley's Reminiscences (1907)
Fred Spiksley: Fred Spiksley's Autobiography (1920)
Sir Frederick Wall: 50 Years of Football 1895-1934 (2005)http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1862231168
Clive W. Nicholson: Flying Over an Olive Grove (unpublished)
- This biography is currently being written and should be complete in a couple of years time. If you are interested in this book or Fred Spiksley please email clive_w_nicholson@yahoo.co.uk
Richard Sparling: The Romance of the Wednesday (1926)
Kieth Farnsworth: Wednesday! (1982)
Percy Young: Football in Sheffield (1964)
Kieth Farnsworth: Sheffield Wednesday - A Complete Record (1987)
Kieth Farnsworth: Sheffield Football - A History Volume one 1857-1961 (1995)
Kieth Farnsworth: The Blades and The Owls (1995)
Nick Johnson: Images of Sport - Sheffield Wednesday (2003)
Jason Dickinson and John Brodie: The Wednesday Boys (2005)
Jason Dickinson: One Hundred Years at Hillsborough (1999)
Ian Bevan: To the palace for the Cup (1999)
The Book of Football (1906)
IFFHS: Sweden (1908–1940)
Earnest Needham: Association Football (1901)
John Goodall: Association Football (1898)
Ambrose Langley: Tales of Ambrose Langley (1925)

External links

Biographies

Sheffield Wednesday

England

Leeds City

Ruhleban

Coach

Spiksley in Sweden

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