Brad Dubberley (born 28 June 1981)[1] is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair rugby Head Coach and former athlete. He won a silver medal as an athlete at the 2000 Sydney Games[1] and was the head coach at the 2008 Beijing Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.[2] He is the head coach of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby team known as the Australian Steelers.[3]
Playing career
Dubberley was born in the New South Wales town of Kurri Kurri on 28 June 1981.[4] He became a quadriplegic at the age of 12 when he fell down a 50 m cliff while playing with friends in the bush in Victoria.[1] In 1995, at the age of 14, he took up wheelchair rugby as part of the rehabilitation process.[1] His classification level was 3.5.[1] He first represented Australia in 1996 in a test series with New Zealand.[1] At 1998 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, he was member of the team that came 5th.[1] At the 2000 Sydney Games, he was a member of the team that won the silver medal.[1] At the 2002 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, he was a member of the team that won the bronze medal.[1] At the 2004 Athens Games, he was a member of the team that came 5th.[1] His last major competition as an athlete was at the 2006 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, where the team came 6th.[1] During his career as an athlete, he competed in over 70 international competitions.[1]
Coaching career
In 1998 he was the Australian Junior Paralympian of the Year.[1] In 2009, he was awarded the Primary Club of Australia's Sir Roden Cutler Award for his services to wheelchair rugby.[5] Dubberley is a frequent visitor to spinal units offering advice and support. His message is "Don't let the chair, stop you from doing anything".[6]
At the 2018 World Championships in Sydney, he was Head Coach of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61–62 in the gold medal game.[11] Dubberley coached the Steelers to win the gold medal at the 2022 IWRF World Championship in Vejle, Denmark, when they defeated the United States .[12]
^"Murderball". Sixty Minutes. 20 October 2005. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
^Media Guide - Beijing 2008(PDF). Sydney: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
^"Batt stars as Australia win gold". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.