Walter Stooke (30 January 1895 – 6 November 1962) was a player, coach, and administrator of

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

. He was president of the

Australian National Football Council The Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was the national governing body for Australian rules football in Australia from 1906 until 1995. The council was a body of delegates representing each of the principal leagues which controlled the ...

(ANFC) from 1946 to 1950, as well as president of the

Western Australian National Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WANFL) from 1932 to 1951. Stooke was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, but came to Western Australia at a young age."The Inaugural Hall of Fame a BIG Success"
Perth Football Club, 17 March 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2017. He played two seasons for the

Perth Football Club The Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football club based in Lathlain, Western Australia, currently playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Representing the south-east area of the Perth metropol ...

in 1915 and 1916, and then spent several years in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

before returning to league football in 1920, as Perth's captain. Stooke was also club captain in 1921, but suffered a career-ending knee injury. He was then appointed non-playing coach for the 1922 season. Stooke served as Perth's treasurer in 1923, and then as its secretary from 1924 to 1929. In 1932, he was elected president of the WANFL in succession to

Alf Moffat Alfred Augustine Moffat (15 March 1870 – 8 December 1956) was an Australian sportsman and sports administrator. He played first-class cricket for Western Australia and Australian rules football for several clubs in the West Australian Footbal ...

, who had resigned due to a dispute over player clearances. Stooke would serve as league president until 1951, and was also president of the

from 1946 to 1950.Walter STOOKE
NAB WA Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 February 2017. Stooke died in 1962, aged 67.Metropolitan Cemeteries Board
/ref> He was posthumously inducted into the

West Australian Football Hall of Fame The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia. People eligible for inclusion are players, coaches, umpires, ...

in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stooke, Wally 1895 births 1962 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel of World War I Australian rules football administrators Australian rules footballers from Perth, Western Australia Perth Football Club administrators Perth Football Club coaches Perth Football Club players West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees West Australian Football League administrators

See also

References