Fred Lindop
British rugby league referee (1938–2023)
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George Frederick Lindop MBE (20 July 1938 – January 2023) was a British rugby league referee. He refereed 22 test matches, including the World Cup final in 1970. He also refereed five Challenge Cup Finals.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | George Frederick Lindop | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 July 1938 Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 January 2023 (aged 84) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Refereeing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biography
Lindop began refereeing when he joined the Wakefield Rugby League Referees' Society in 1957.[2] He took charge of his first professional rugby league game in 1966. A year later, he refereed at international level for the first time, and was appointed for all three Tests between Great Britain and Australia during the 1967–68 Kangaroo tour.[3]
His final game as a referee was the 1988 Challenge Cup final.[4] He then became the RFL's controller of referees until leaving the role in 1993.[2]
Lindop was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1989 New Year Honours for services to rugby league,[5] and was inducted to the Rugby Football League's Roll of Honour in 2009.[6]
Lindop also established the University of Sheffield rugby league team in 1969 and coached them.[7] He coached junior rugby league at the Eastmoor club in Wakefield and the Oulton Raiders club near Leeds.
His death was announced on 23 January 2023, at the age of 84.[8]
