Michelle den Dekker
Australian netball player
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Michelle den Dekker OAM, also known as Michelle Fielke, is an Australian netballer from South Australia. den Dekker represented Australia in 84 tests between 1988 and 1995, including a record 71 as captain. She received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to sport.[1][2]
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| Full name | Michelle den Dekker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 March 1966 (age 60) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Updated on 2015-06-24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Netball career
Life member of the Garville Netball Club from 1989 to 1995 and helping the club clinch five premierships in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995.[3][4] In the national league, den Dekker was captain-coach of the Queensland Firebirds in 1997-98 before returning home to the now defunct Adelaide Ravens.[5]
den Dekker made her Australian debut in 1985, and led Australian to two world championships as captain (1991 and 1995). Michelle played a total of 84 test matches for Australia between 1985 and 1995, including 71 as captain. As captain her team enjoyed a win loss ratio of 92% (65 wins, 6 losses).[6][7]
den Dekker was voted as Adelaide's greatest netballer to have fronted for the Adelaide Thunderbirds or Adelaide Ravens.[5] She was inducted into the Australian Netball Hall of Fame in 2009.[1]
Coaching career
den Dekker OAM was appointed Head Coach of Netball Australia’s new Centre of Excellence in Canberra in April 2014.[8][9]
den Dekker was the Diamonds Assistant coach for the Australian Netball Diamonds until August 2015 (the 2015 Netball World Cup). Currently still works as a consultant for Netball Australia as a Defence Specialist coach and manages her own Netball consultancy business working to develop our next generation of players and coaches in South Australia
Awards
- Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1992[7]
- SA Great Award, for services to sport in South Australia in 1993.
- Inducted into the Australian Netball Hall of Fame 2009[7]
- Inducted into the Inaugural South Australian Hall Of Fame 2010[10]
- Ambassador for the SA Sports Hall Of Fame alongside Legend Barrie Robran AM.
- Inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2020.[11]