Joe Wickham (1890 in Phibsboro, Dublin – 3 November 1968 in Katowice, Poland) was the General Secretary of the Football Association of Ireland from the 1930s until his death in 1968 at the age of 78.
He took over from Jack Ryder in 1936, having previously worked as a supervisor in the coach-building workshop in the Broadstone depot of the Midland Great Western Railway.
[1] He had been a founder member of Midland Athletic, and had figured in the losing side of the 1920 Leinster Senior Cup Final against St. James's Gate.
[2] He received much attention for his decision not to cancel the soccer match between the Irish team and Yugoslavia in October 1955, under pressure from the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid, on the premise that Ireland had to play its role in resisting Communism.
Both Radio Éireann and the Army Band made themselves unavailable, but this did not deter a crowd of 21,400 supporters arriving at Dalymount Park and passing the picket of Legion of Mary members who carried anti-Communist placards.