Marcus Bontempelli Wife Neila: Inside Their Wedding, Love Story and Daughter Daisy

Marcus Bontempelli has spent more than a decade building a remarkable AFL career with the Western Bulldogs, but away from Marvel Stadium, his life has entered a very different chapter. The Bulldogs captain is married to Neila Bontempelli, formerly Neila Brenning, a Canadian former ice hockey player who has been beside him through some of the biggest moments of his career.

Marcus and Neila married in California in October 2025 after becoming engaged during a romantic trip to Italy the previous year. Less than a year after their wedding, their family grew again with the arrival of their first child, daughter Daisy Isobel Bontempelli, in August 2026.

Their relationship has developed largely outside the constant attention surrounding Marcus’ football career. Neila has appeared beside him at major AFL events and awards nights, but she has also maintained her own interests, including ice hockey and a hospitality business the couple now share in Melbourne.

Who Is Marcus Bontempelli’s Wife Neila?

Marcus Bontempelli’s wife is Neila Bontempelli, who was known publicly as Neila Brenning before their marriage.

Neila is Canadian and has a sporting background of her own. After moving to Australia, she played ice hockey for Melbourne Ice, giving her a firsthand understanding of the training and commitment required in competitive sport.

Her life became increasingly familiar to AFL followers after she started attending events with Marcus.

Over the years, Neila has accompanied him to awards ceremonies and other football functions, but she never appeared interested in turning herself into a public personality simply because of her relationship with one of Australia’s best-known footballers.

That relatively private approach has continued even as their relationship moved through an engagement, wedding and parenthood.

How Did Marcus Bontempelli and Neila Meet?

The couple met in Western Australia after the 2021 AFL Grand Final.

The timing was unusual because Marcus had just experienced one of the more disappointing moments of his career. The Western Bulldogs had reached the grand final but were defeated by Melbourne.

Neila was visiting Western Australia when she met Marcus after the game.

Years later, Bontempelli joked that meeting her provided an unexpected positive after such a difficult football result. He said he had been feeling bruised emotionally after the defeat and credited Neila with helping him through that period.

What began during that trip eventually developed into a serious relationship.

By the following years, Neila was regularly appearing beside Marcus at important football events. She was there during periods when his individual reputation continued to rise, even while the Bulldogs experienced the normal ups and downs of AFL competition.

Their relationship also gave Marcus someone outside his immediate football environment who understood competitive sport.

Marcus Proposed to Neila in Italy

After several years together, Marcus proposed to Neila during an overseas holiday in November 2024.

The engagement took place in Italy, with Neila sharing photographs from Florence showing the couple celebrating together. One image showed her engagement ring alongside a bottle of champagne, while another captured the pair embracing against the Italian scenery.

The announcement quickly attracted congratulations from Western Bulldogs players and friends.

Marcus had already spoken publicly about how important Neila had become in his life.

When accepting the AFL Players’ Association MVP award in 2023, he specifically thanked his family and Neila for supporting him through both successful and more difficult periods.

That acknowledgement offered a rare glimpse at how important the relationship had become away from football.

Marcus and Neila Married in California

Marcus Bontempelli and Neila Brenning married in October 2025 during a destination wedding in California.

The celebration took place in the Napa Valley region and included more than 100 guests, with several current and former Western Bulldogs players making the trip to attend.

Among the football names reported at the celebration were Cody Weightman, Aaron Naughton, Ed Richards, Jason Johannisen and Tom Liberatore, along with longtime Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.

The wedding followed pre-wedding celebrations in Las Vegas.

Photos shared from the event showed Marcus wearing a traditional black-tie suit while Neila chose an elegant white lace wedding dress.

Despite Marcus being one of the biggest figures in the AFL, the wedding still felt more like a personal celebration than a major celebrity event.

After the ceremony, Neila became Neila Bontempelli.

Marcus and Neila Welcomed Daughter Daisy

Only a few months after their California wedding, Marcus and Neila shared another major piece of family news.

In February 2026, they revealed that they were expecting their first child.

The announcement included a video of the couple cutting into a cake to discover the baby’s gender. When the inside revealed they were having a girl, the moment was followed by an emotional celebration between them.

Their daughter arrived later that year.

Daisy Isobel Bontempelli was born on August 14, 2026. Marcus and Neila publicly announced her arrival several days later with photographs and a video introducing their daughter.

The couple described how life had immediately changed with Daisy’s arrival.

Marcus was absent from the Bulldogs’ match against Carlton shortly after her birth, making it clear that family took priority during such an important moment.

Photos later showed both Marcus and Neila holding their newborn daughter in hospital.

For someone whose adult life has been dominated by AFL schedules, training and competition, becoming a father represented an entirely new responsibility.

Neila Has Her Own Sporting Background

Neila’s connection with sport existed before Marcus entered her life.

The Canadian played ice hockey in Australia, including time with Melbourne Ice.

Ice hockey remains a relatively smaller sport in Australia compared with AFL, but the experience still placed Neila inside a competitive sporting environment that involved preparation, physical demands and team commitments.

That shared understanding may be one reason she appears comfortable around the unusual lifestyle attached to Marcus’ career.

The AFL season can dominate much of a player’s year. Training, recovery, interstate travel, media duties and matches leave limited free time, especially for someone carrying the responsibilities of club captain.

Neila has been alongside Marcus through those demands while maintaining interests of her own.

Marcus and Neila Also Run a Café Together

Football and hockey are not the couple’s only shared interests.

Marcus and Neila are also involved in Arthur’s Milkbar, a café in Kew, Melbourne.

The business opened in 2025 and was designed around a mixture of traditional Australian milk bar nostalgia and American diner influences. Marcus has described the café as something he and Neila had discussed for some time and as a project that allowed him to explore life beyond football.

The café serves coffee and a menu built around familiar breakfast and diner-style food.

For Marcus, the business also has a strong family connection.

He has spoken about growing up in a household where food was often at the centre of family gatherings. With Daisy now part of their lives, that idea of family meals has taken on another meaning.

The café also gives Marcus and Neila something they can continue building together regardless of how long his AFL career lasts.

Neila Has Supported Marcus Through His AFL Career

Neila entered Marcus’ life when he was already an established football star, but several major individual achievements have followed during their relationship.

Bontempelli has captained the Western Bulldogs since 2020 and remained captain for a sixth consecutive season in 2026.

His career includes the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership, multiple club best and fairest awards and three AFL Players’ Association MVP awards.

The 2026 season brought another major honour when Bontempelli was named an All-Australian for the eighth time. He averaged 26.3 disposals across 22 matches and kicked 30 goals during the season.

Through many of those later achievements, Neila has been part of the support system around him.

Marcus has previously spoken about the importance of having people he can rely on, naming Neila alongside his parents, sisters and wider family.

Family Life Has Become a New Chapter for Marcus

For most AFL supporters, Marcus Bontempelli will always be associated first with the Western Bulldogs.

He joined the club through the 2013 AFL Draft, became a premiership player in 2016 and developed into one of the competition’s most decorated midfielders. His leadership role has only strengthened that connection.

His life away from football, however, has changed considerably since meeting Neila in 2021.

The couple went from meeting after a difficult grand final loss to becoming engaged in Italy, marrying in California and welcoming Daisy in Melbourne.

They have also created a business together and are beginning to experience parenthood while Marcus continues playing at the highest level.

For readers searching for Marcus Bontempelli’s wife, Neila Bontempelli is much more than the woman accompanying him to AFL awards nights. She has her own sporting background, shares a business with Marcus and is now raising their daughter with him.

Their story has unfolded across Australia, Italy and California, but its newest chapter is much closer to home. With Daisy’s arrival in August 2026, Marcus and Neila are now adjusting to life as first-time parents while continuing to balance football, business and family.