Fred Spiksley

After playing for local teams in Gainsborough, including Gainsborough Trinity (for whom he had scored 131 goals in 126 appearances), he signed for Wednesday in 1891. His later career was marred by injury (including a serious knee injury in 1903) and he played for Leeds City, Southern United and Watford. He was also an England international, scoring hat-tricks for his country on both his debut against Wales and second appearance against Scotland, both in 1893.

After retiring as a player Spiskley joined the Fred Karno Company, and worked in a theatre with Charlie Chaplin. He then became a football coach who worked in Sweden, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the United States, Peru and Mexico, as well as in England. After World War I broke out, he was coaching in Germany and was held in civilian orisoner of war camp along with his son. His wife managed to secure their release, and the family moved to Switzerland. He then returned to England but was deemed unfit to serve in the War due to his earlier knee injury, which Spiksley exacerbated by dislocating his knee at will to fool the medical examiner. He spent the war working in Sheffield as a munitions inspector, resuming his coaching career after the war ended. He ended his career coaching at the King Edward VII School in Sheffield.

Spiksley was a "slight and silky winger" who was described as the "fastest man in football" by his England international team-mate Billy Bassett.

Spiksley was born in Gainsborough, the son of a boilermaker. His father Edward worked at the Britannia Ironworks in Gainsborough. Edward had been married to Frederick's mother Sarah for five years by the time he was born. Frederick had a younger sister named Florence Maud, who died on 18 December 1875, at the age of nearly five weeks. At the time of the 1881 census, Spiksley's father was recorded as working as a Publican in Gainsborough. Frederick had an older brother named John Edward, and a younger brother named William.