GFUL Director of Umpiring, Steve Keating, is one of only two VCFL Umpire Coaches to be invited to attend the 2007 AFL National Coaching Conference to be held at the Carlton Crest Hotel, Melbourne, from Friday 2 February to Sunday 4 February.   The Conference is being organised by the AFL Game Development Department to provide an opportunity for Australian Football Coaches to gain first hand access to the most up to date coaching methods and practices.

Presenters invited to speak at the Conference include AFL Western Bulldogs Coach, Rodney Eade, AFL Coaching  Ambassadors Stan Alves, David Parkin and Peter Schwab, AFL Assistant Coaches, Chris Bond (Western Bulldogs), Neil Connell (Kangaroos), Darren Crocker (Kangaroos), Alan Richardson (Collingwood), Anthony Rock (St Kilda) and David Wheadon (Geelong).   Other specialist presenters from various football related environments including Football Development Programs, Institutes of Sport and Management Programs have been invited to speak on such topics as Sports Science and Management, etc.

This is a truly unique and exciting opportunity for Steve Keating to attend a Conference that will benefit coaches across the whole spectrum of football coaching, whether it be playing or umpiring, and the experience gained will also be of great benefit to the GFUL Coaching Panel in the development and training of GFUL Umpires.