Natalie von Bertouch

Australian midcourter who captained the Diamonds to back-to-back World Cup titles in a double-overtime thriller against New Zealand in 2011.

Natalie von Bertouch (also known as Natalie Bode) was born on 16 December 1982, the daughter of former Australian rules footballer Terry von Bertouch. She and her older sister Laura began playing netball together aged seven and nine at the Contax Netball Club in Adelaide, going on to become teammates for both Adelaide Thunderbirds and Australia. Von Bertouch made her Australian debut in 2004 and earned 76 caps, winning World Netball Championships gold in 2007 and 2011 and Commonwealth Games silver in 2006 and 2010. She was elevated to vice-captain in 2008, and when regular captain Sharelle McMahon was sidelined by injury in 2011, von Bertouch stepped up to lead Australia to a dramatic double-overtime win over New Zealand in Singapore, retaining the world title. Domestically, von Bertouch was the inaugural captain of the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the ANZ Championship, holding the role for six years and leading the club to titles in 2010 and 2013, and was named the competition's Player of the Year in 2009. She retired from all levels of netball in 2013, and has since worked for Cancer Council SA, served on the Netball South Australia board, and joined the Thunderbirds coaching staff as a midcourt specialist. She was inducted into the Netball Australia Hall of Fame in 2024.

Dynamic centre renowned for calm decision-making, court vision and consistent leadership under the highest pressure

Regarded as one of the finest midcourters of her era, celebrated for calm, controlled leadership at both club and international level

• World Championship Gold 2007, 2011 (captain in 2011)
• 2010 Liz Ellis Diamond
• Inaugural Adelaide Thunderbirds captain, 2x ANZ Championship title (2010, 2013)
• Netball Australia Hall of Fame 2024