Dubberley, who has just returned home from the London Paralympics, said the general public is now embracing the paralympians like never before.
“We’ve really had a great following over the past few years which has been fantastic for us,” Dubberley said.
“I guess wheelchair rugby is one of those sports that everyone is drawn to and loves the sound, the physicality and the look of it, so they’ve started following it.
“I’ve been around the sport for nearly 19 years now so to see the stature and exposure of our Australian paralympians grow so much is significant.”
The wheelchair rugby team defeated Canada in the final at the 2012 London Paralympics to win gold.
“To finally reach the pinnacle is crazy and I couldn’t do it as an athlete unfortunately but to do it as a coach is probably more rewarding,” Dubberley said.
“You see the athletes getting their medals and looking over to say thanks and you see how much it means to them and their families.”
“It was an amazing feeling for us to go to London and achieve every goal that I set the boys and for them to execute the game plan that I put in place was fantastic, including winning all 20 quarters for the tournament.”
Dubberley said he was excited about the new partnership between the Essendon Football Club and the Australian Paralympic Committee at the High Performance Centre.
“It’s going to be pretty exciting to come out here and know that we are going to have access to the courts, the gym and the pool to train,” Dubberley said.
