HEATHMERE Football Netball Club hasn’t fielded a side in the top grade of the South West District Netball League since 2019, but that’s all set to change for 2024 as Nikki Hudson has stepped on board to take the reins of their A grade team.

Hudson has plenty of connections with the Meres, having played 99 games in the black and white and coached their B grade to a grand final appearance.

She also spent time coaching at Tyrendarra, winning back-to-back premierships in A reserve, while also serving as a netball umpire for a number of years.

On her return to both Heathmere and to coaching in general, Hudson said she had been considering getting back into it for a while.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, I used to play at Heathmere, and I’ve always been drawn to want to go back to the club,” she said.

“It’s a conversation I had over last year and this year about getting back into it… and this year I’ve decided it’s time to do something for myself and also to help the club out.”

Hudson said it’s exciting to see the club make the push to get a side back up in the top grade of the SWDNL.

“I’ve been involved with the league for a lot of my life, I was netball president for some time, and I’ve seen a number of clubs over the years not able to get A grade sides up,” she said.

“It can be disheartening for a club, but I look back to a club like Dartmoor who struggled to field an A grade side for several years but now they’ve turned it around and won the A grade premiership last year.

“It can take a few years to build up to that level, but that story should just shows us that it’s possible.

“It would be great to see all eight clubs field an A grade side, it’s great for Heathmere but not only that it’s great for the league.

“But it’s not just about having an A grade side but about having all four sides in the mix at the club.”

Hudson said the focus in year one of their A grade return won’t be on winning premierships but rather on rebuilding the side with a mind towards the future.

“The focus will be on recruitment and getting some old players in with the new,” Hudson said.

“It would be good to bring up some juniors as well… Heathmere does already have players in their A reserve side and in their junior sides that are capable of playing at that level.

“But we definitely think that we’ll be competitive, and we’ll enjoy it and learn to develop.”

Heathmere’s 17-and-under side tasted the ultimate success in the 2023 season as they won the premiership, with Hudson saying they’ll look to get those players in the mix next season.

“It was actually while I was (at Hanlon Park) watching that grand final that I thought again about coaching A grade next year,” she said.

“I hadn’t really watched them much throughout the year but seeing them in finals and realising there was so much confidence within the group at both ends of the court.

“There’s definitely some players in that 17-and-under side who I would be encouraging to step up into the A grade side.”

As for her own on court efforts, while Hudson admitted her playing days are in the past, she will be pulling on the uniform to crack the three-figure milestone.

“I want to get back out there and play my 100th game, but I think that’ll do me after that,” she said.

Hudson said the club is now in the process of recruiting across all grades of netball, and she said the Meres would start looking at some preseason “around mid-January.”