After six decades involved in umpiring AFLUA Life Member Phil Watson has announced his retirement as Head Umpire’s Trainer at the AFL.
Phil’s incredible career has perhaps been defined by his adaptability, having umpired in all three disciplines, as well as spent decades involved in administration, observing, and most recently training and property management.
For the past 25 years as Head Trainer, Phil has been a constant presence on Tuesday nights and match days, stretching from AFL preseason through to the end of the AFLW season.
Phil springing to action at the round 7 Richmond v Melbourne match after boundary umpire Patrick Dineen fell and fractured his arm. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images via AFL Photos)
Like many, a young Phil followed his father’s footsteps into the world of umpiring.
“I was a 12-year-old boy and my dad was a goal umpire in the Sunday League, and the first game of the season he went to a game and one of the boundary umpires didn’t turn up,” he said.
“The next thing you know I’m running the boundary. As they say, the rest is history.”
As soon as he reached the required age of 14 years, Phil responded to an advertisement in Melbourne’s Sporting Globe newspaper, calling for VFL reserve grade umpires.
What followed was his first umpiring career; 15-years as a boundary umpire.
During this time Phil officiated in seven Federal League grand finals and represented the Reserve Grade Umpires Association on the executive committee for six years.
However, his first of many career pivots was soon to follow.
“Then I decided to take on field umpiring,” he said.
“It was very hard to get onto the senior list in those days, we had some exceptional umpires.
“I wasn’t going to get any further as a boundary. [I was] getting a little bit slower, a little bit older.
“I just thought I’d give it a go because I’d been around football for a long time.”
The next five years were spent travelling all over Victoria to umpire country football as a VFL Reserve Grade Field Umpire.
Umpiring country football soon morphed into under-19s, then reserves games, but promotion to the senior list remained elusive.
With umpiring on the biggest stage still firmly set in his sights, Phil made his second career pivot, this time from centre field to the goal square.
“I just moved into the goals from one year to the next and started goal umpiring.”
Under the close mentorship of goal umpiring doyen Leigh Keen, Phil quickly progressed to the VFL (soon to be AFL) senior list.
“I owe everything to Leigh, he was brilliant, right from day one.”
Phil’s first year on the senior list proved to be a busy one, as he umpired 12 home and away matches, a qualifying final, and even two post-season games in the North America.
Keen to capture international interest to and grow our native game, the VFL staged the ‘Fosters International Cup Tour’ in 1988.
1991 AFL Grand Final Record Cover. The ’91 Grand Final was notably the only premiership decider to be played at Waverly Park.
Four international games were scheduled. One in London, two in Toronto, and one in Miami.
Phil was given the opportunity to officiate in two games across Toronto and Miami, an experience he now reflects on as one of his best in umpiring.
However, the true pinnacle of Phil’s umpiring career would come in 1991 when he served as emergency goal umpire in the Hawthorn vs West Coast Grand Final at Waverly Park, the only Grand Final to be hosted at the venue.
“That’s my claim to fame, the one Grand Final at Waverly,” said Phil.
In 1993 Phil finished as a goal umpire, bringing an end to a 25-year umpiring career that started as a boy running the boundary in the Sunday league, had taken him around the country, and eventually the world.
However, just because he was stepping off the field didn’t mean that Phil was stepping away from football.
A seven-year stint in administration at the Southern Football League as secretary of the board was followed in 2000 with a position as trainer at the Boronia Football Club with his two sons.
Training at local footy was soon superseded by a position in the VFL. After just one year with the VFL Phil got a tap on the shoulder from an old colleague.
“[AFL head trainer] George Mather said there’s an opportunity at the AFL,” recalled Phil
“I had a meeting out at Monash Uni where they were training, and within a day I got a phone call to say ‘would you like to start next week?’
“That was for the start of the season in 2001, and here we are at the end of 2026.”
Having originally planned to press on into 2027, Phil said that time spent with his growing family made him reconsider his decision.
“I had my birthday on Monday (19th October). We had a big family thing on Sunday, and it just brings home how much your family means to you.”
“I rang [AFL Umpire Operations Manager Aaron Nunn] on Monday, because I’d already responded saying I was coming back, and I said, ‘Nunny, look, I’ve changed my mind.
“They reckon you know when it’s time. It’s my time.”
With his retirement announced, the flood of messages and phone calls that followed demonstrated just how much of an effect Phil has had on generations of umpires.
“This week, I don’t know how many messages, phone calls, texts, I’ve had from current umpires, people I’ve been involved with, some people who aren’t even at the AFL… that’s really really gratifying to get that feedback,” said Phil.
“The best part about being involved for so long is you see people come in as very raw rookies. The next thing you in a few years they’re on the big stage; they’re doing their first AFL game, they’re doing their first final, they’re doing their first grand final.
“That’s really rewarding to me to know that I’ve been on their journey.”
AFL Umpire Training and Property Assistant Ben Carbonaro, who has worked alongside Phil since 2015, reflected on the knowledge and experience that he brought to the training team.
“Phil’s always been a strong hand and a welcoming hand to me. We worked together for a long time and it’s going to be weird going into the 2027 preseason without him.”
“Phil’s been omnipresent. Basically, anyone who’s been involved in umpiring for the past 50 or 60 years; everyone knows Phil Watson in some capacity.”
For Phil, the most important part of his decades in umpiring has been the relationships he’s built with fellow umpires and trainers.
Phil Watson and Brian Fort before the 2012 AFL Grand Final.
“The one thing with all this is the people,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have done it this long without the camaraderie.”
“You get to know all these people, and you strike up that rapport.”
“There’s been a whole mixture of emotions, and it’s been a great journey.”
“Being a life member of the association, having my heritage number, that means a lot to me. But the friendships, the camaraderie, that’s priceless.”
Now easing into retirement and a with a second grandchild due, a busy schedule of family life, golf, local footy and travel lies ahead for Phil.
The AFL Umpires Association thanks you for your incredible contribution to umpiring and wishes you the best of luck in retirement Phil.
Article by Jackson Kerr