Bowls Australia appoints National Coach
Dobbins appointed Australian Bowls Coach
Bowls Australia has appointed 1982 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Robbie Dobbins coach of the men's and women's Australian bowls teams.
The appointment was ratified at the September board meeting of Bowls Australia and sees Dobbins become the first head coach of both men's and women's national teams.
He will oversee all aspects of coaching relating to the 40-player strong Australian Bowls Squad for the next 12 months. The squad comprises both men's and women's 'open' and 'development' sections.
Dobbins said his main priority was to encourage members of the national squad to take a more professional approach to their role as elite athletes.
“There is a big job ahead of us in terms of encouraging our elite players to place more emphasis on their preparation so they can perform at their optimum level," he said.
Dobbins has been coach of the Australian women's team since July 2001 and interim coach/manager of the Australian men's team since April 2003.
He was previously manager of the Australian men's team between 1995 and 1996.
Between 1997 and 1998 Dobbins was full-time coach of the Malaysian bowls team and guided the nation to three medals in its bowls debut at the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Dobbins will play a key role in Bowls Australia's newly developed High Performance Program and will lead the Australian men's and women's teams to their respective world championships in 2004.
"The head coach of any sporting organisation has a big responsibility," said Bowls Australia's chief executive Mark Rendell.
"Robbie Dobbins has been charged with ensuring our elite players are properly prepared every time they step onto the green to represent Australia and, in particular, that our Australian teams perform at their best at the 2004 world championships."
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