The humble football personality and long-serving Hampden region development officer, who retired on Friday after 37 years in the role, has held that belief from the moment he learnt to kick a football.

It initially started on the front nature strip of Thompson's Murray Street home, which is just a stone's throw away from Friendly Societies' Park and his home club of South Warrnambool.

Thompson and his younger brother Ken would team up to play some of the neighbouring families in the Fishes and Tolemans in some hotly contested but one-sided affairs.

Soon a young Thompson, who was around 10 at the time, thought something had to change.

"The sides were a bit mismatched so we evened it up and now when I look back on that is the basis for how I run everything now," the 68-year-old reflects.

"It was about participation, fair go and altering the rules so that people of all abilities could play the game.

"That was not planned but I had a real interest in footy and I felt if we didn't have all the neighbouring kids playing then it wouldn't be fun.

"Obviously Ken and I had reasonable ability and we had to change the rules. When I look back now it shows where my passion for what I do now and my values came from."

Thompson's career soon progressed from the nature strip onto the field at Friendlies where he trained with the Roosters' under 18 side as a 12-year-old.

But his competitive football debut was with Warrnambool Tech School, now known as Brauer College.

After two seasons playing with mates at school, a 16-year-old Thompson made his debut for South's under 18 side.

He would finish that season winning the Hampden league's Judd Cup as a bottom-ager and was invited to play a trial game for VFL club Fitzroy, which was a big step towards his goal of playing top-level football.

But the time wasn't right and Thompson headed home to Warrnambool to spend one season with South Warrnambool's senior side in 1969 while working as an apprentice electrician for Leahy's Electrical Industries.

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That season the Roosters, led by Alistair Lord, went on to defeat Mortlake in the Hampden league grand final with Thompson playing his part on a half-forward flank.

Soon the Geelong supporter had to shift his allegiances as he began a 138-game career with Fitzroy from 1970-79.

The Fitzroy greatest team member, who is named on the wing in that side, remembers his extraordinary VFL debut fondly.

"My first game was interesting because we played in front of the Royal Family (Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne)," the Lions life member said.

"It was at the MCG with 38,000 people on a Sunday and it was the first game televised live and at half-time we went in, showered, changed our gear and groomed ourselves to meet the Royal Family.

"It was a bit surreal for my first game against the premiers in Richmond and also meeting them. We went on to win that game so that was a surreal and great intro to league footy."

After retiring Thompson captain-coached Warrnambool's seniors in 1980-81 and led Heywood in '82. He was also the Hampden interleague coach in '81 and '83.

But in 1982 he started a career that helped shape the Hampden region into what it is now.

He started as a football development officer for Fitzroy, which had the western district as its drafting zone, before the role shifted to working for the VFL and then AFL Victoria. He finished his career with AFL Western District.

The role initially involved mentoring coaches before shifting to developing both the region's coaches and emerging footballers.

He has been instrumental in a number of junior, school, female football and talent identification programs that have played a part in developing some of the region's top footballers.

One of the first, and most successful, programs Thompson set up was Vickick - now known as Auskick - in the south-west.

Peter Allan was there on the first day in 1991 and still remains heavily involved in the program, which now has 26 clubs and over 1100 kids participating across the region.

The current Auskick district manager was asked by Thompson at the time if he would help run the program with him and from that day the pair became good friends and have held a good working relationship for nearly 30 years.

"We get along well and I wouldn't still be here if we didn't," the former Our Lady Help of Christians Primary teacher said of the pair's relationship.

"What I say his greatest strength is his ability to network and get people who are good at what they do and he has always acknowledged them for that.

"People often come and grab all the glory but he has always been a person who acknowledges the work of others."

Allan said another of Thompson's greatest strengths was his passion for the game and helping everyone improve.

"He is giving young people the opportunity to be actively involved," he said.

"Some of the elite programs have been part of his job and the results can be seen easily by the people who have gone on to play AFL footy.

"But it's probably the other people who had a go and maybe they didn't play again but they would say they had that amazing time once.

"Kids often come up and say 'this has been the greatest day ever' and that can be bigger to him than if someone says 'this lad got drafted, aren't you happy you helped?' and maybe he did help, maybe he didn't.

"Maybe they played some good footy but it's the other people that might play and might not reach any great heights but they had a good time and that's what he cares about."

Thompson said his approaches to junior and primary school footy clinics were "old fashioned" but they continued to prove themselves time and time again.

"The kids have to enjoy their introduction to footy and it needs a bit of fun related to it and the message is that they come and have a go at footy," the father-of-three said.

"I have followed them for 37 years and they have stood the test of time and the kids still enjoy coming out and doing the footy activities.

"If I'm doing my job right then I am providing huge amounts of kids the opportunity to try footy."

Another passion Thompson opted to chase in 2011 was female football, which he helped kick-start in the south-west.

It started with a Monday night school competition with the support of the region's female football pioneer Alicia Drew.

A year later it progressed into fielding a side in the V-line Cup, which Hampden still participates in today, and school academies.

In 2016 it grew further with the creation of a South Warrnambool side, thanks to the help of Michael and Julie Crutchfield, and hosting some come and try days and skills sessions.

There is one memory from an early training session where Thompson agrees he made one of his few mistakes after inviting Geelong superstar Paddy Dangerfield and Lachie Henderson to run a session.

"That night a lot of mums and young girls were turning up and looking onto the ground and seeing the best player in the AFL and were a bit hesitant to come out of their cars to train," he said.

"Those two guys went and encouraged the girls to come out and train and have a kick.

"On the night it was fabulous to see these two players really have a big impact on the girls getting out of the car and trying."

Following that night South would play a number of exhibition matches against Hamilton Kangaroos, Portland and Mt Gambier before the Deakin University Female Football League was formed.

Now the recently re-named Western Victoria Female Football League has 12 junior and eight senior female teams.

Drew, who is now an operations coordinator at AFL Western District, has worked closely with her good friend in helping drive the steep progression of female football.

"One thing with Thommo is he is a dog with a bone, once he gets in he just runs with it and people told him over a 100 times that girls footy wouldn't work but he is just so passionate," she said.

"It's one of those things as it is so hard to convince men of his age that women's footy is a thing so to have someone like him back it from the word go was massive."

Drew admires Thompson's commitment to the idea that football is for everyone to enjoy.

"Thommo has this thing where he wants everyone to play footy no matter what race or gender they are," she says of the person she regards as a "father figure of football" in the region.

"It's always been his goal to have everyone play footy and often someone like Thommo had no right to support women's footy but he has been the biggest champion."

Auskick and female football aren't the only legacies Thompson will leave his successors.

He has been vital in setting up stable school football programs at primary and secondary level.

Those programs include annual inter-school competitions and AFL club clinics and visits from the likes of Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Essendon and Richmond.

Now 39 schools - 27 primary and 12 secondary - across the Hampden region now participate.

The former Blues captain-coach has helped create a development pathway for young footballers to realise their AFL dreams through his connection to the Western Bulldogs NGA and TAC Cup/NAB League clubs Geelong Falcons and Greater Western Victoria Rebels.

He has seen the likes of AFL greats in Scott Lucas, Luke Hodge, Jonathan Brown and Jordan Lewis rise to achieve top-level success during his career.

He has also kept a close eye on the current crop of Hampden region exports like Gary Rohan, Hugh McCluggage, Ben Cunnington and Zach Merrett, who are forging careers at AFL level.

Thompson's commitment to coaching development has also seen the likes of Ken Hinkley and Leon Cameron secure top coaching jobs at AFL clubs.

His support of coaches in the region helped a number of the south-west's best mentors be recognised as state coaches of the year.

Thompson is proud to acknowledge the region he has served for over half of his life is in a better place than when he first started in 1982.

The popular south-west football personality hopes he has served it well in his 37 years.

"I think I've been very loyal and I'd like to think whenever I was required I made the commitment, whether it's clubs, Auskicks or schools," he said.

"That's come back to some really close friendships and connections with people because that drives your loyalty and because you don't want to let footy or let them down.

"That's always been in my mind so I hope I have done the right thing by those people and serviced the region the best I could and when I was needed to."

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