Frederick Albert Wooff was a “returned man” who began his playing career in Adelaide with Sturt in 1921 after war service with the 10th Battalion. Wooff was born at East Ham, London, in 1898.
He must have attempted to join the British Army in England in 1914, but was rejected as underage. Turning up in Adelaide, he enlisted in the AIF in August 1916, giving his occupation as “assistant tinsmith”. His parents lived in London and had presumably not given him permission to enlist at the age of 18, as there is no accompanying letter on his service record.
Wooff arrived at the front in April 1917 as a private in the 10th Battalion, but was soon hospitalized with a variety of ailments, including trench fever and nephritis. He was returned to Australia in October 1917 and discharged as medically unfit on 11th April 1918.
The Advertiser used to run lengthy columns just after the war in which returned servicemen seeking work advertised their availability with mention of their trade or skills. Frederick Wooff appeared in one of these lists in 1920, stating that he was a “motor driver”. He must have learnt to drive whilst awaiting his discharge in Australia.
He began playing for Sturt in 1921, a press report mentioning that he was a new player who formed a productive left wing partnership with Gus Croger. He played with Sturt until 1924, the club finishing mid table and reaching one cup final in that period. With the District System introduced in 1925, Wooff turned out with South Adelaide, playing alongside Reg Rapley. His last season seems to have been 1926. South finished bottom of the Metropolitan League in these two seasons.
Off the pitch, Fred Wooff led an interesting life. He married Muriel Bassett in 1926 (like many players, marriage often coincided with the end of their playing career.) In the 1920s and early 30s he was charged with embezzlement, selling stolen goods and several traffic offences. He was variously described as a trapper, a second hand dealer, and, in 1930, the proprietor of a motor garage at Glen Osmond. There are no further references to him in the Adelaide papers after 1931. However, he is mentioned in the Cairns Post in 1932, applying for a mining lease at Wandoo. He called it “The Lady Muriel”. In 1937 he was taking over a billiards license at Mareeba. Muriel Wooff died in Adelaide in 1985.