The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional women's basketball team based in East Kilbride, Scotland. Formerly known as Caledonia Pride, they are the first and currently only women's professional basketball team in Scotland, competing in the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL).
| Caledonia Gladiators | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | WBBL |
| Founded | 2016 |
| History | Caledonia Pride 2016-2022 Caledonia Gladiators 2022-present |
| Arena | Playsport Arena[1] |
| Location | East Kilbride, Scotland |
| Head coach | Miguel Ángel Ortega Marco |
| Ownership | Steve and Alison Timoney |
| Website | Official website |
History edit
Caledonia Pride (2016-2022)
In May 2016, the Women's British Basketball League awarded a franchise to basketballscotland, seeking to establish a franchise to help better prepare the Scottish national team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.[2][3] In August 2016, the name Caledonia Pride was chosen and the team's coach was announced to be Edinburgh University women's head coach Bart Sengers, who would coach Pride for the next six seasons.[4][5] After a 6 year run as Caledonia Pride and a disappointing 31 wins from 104 league games it was time for Scotland’s only professional female basketball team to look at a new way forward in respect of playing personnel and proper funding.
Caledonia Gladiators (2022-present)
In June 2022, basketballscotland announced the transfer of the professional franchise to the Lady Rocks basketball club.[6][7] The new team was named Caledonia Gladiators, referencing the original name of the Lady Rocks club formed in 2006, with plans for their own custom-built facility in Lanarkshire.
[8][9] The 2022-23 season saw the newly formed club finish 2nd in the WBBL, a highest ever finish for any Scottish team. The 2023-24 season saw the Gladiators enter the FIBA EuroCup Women in a first ever foray into European competition. This was a successful run to the knockout stages of the competition.
Home Venue edit
- Oriam National Performance Centre (2016-2019)
- University of Edinburgh Pleasance Sports Complex (2019–2021)
- The Crags Centre (2021-2022)
- Lagoon Centre (2022-2023)
- Playsport Arena (2023-present)[1]
A purpose built 6000 seater arena is currently under construction in East Kilbride. Due for completion in 2024 this will be the home venue for the Caledonia Gladiators franchise.
Home games have also been played at the Grangemouth Sports Complex, Falkirk; Emirates Arena, Glasgow and The Peak, Stirling.
Season-by-season records edit
| Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | WBBL Trophy | WBBL Cup | Head Coach | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
| Caledonia Pride | ||||||||||||
| 2016-17 | WBBL | 1 | 9th | 18 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 0.278 | Did not qualify | Pool Stage | 1st round | Bart Sengers |
| 2017-18 | WBBL | 1 | 7th | 20 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 0.350 | Quarter-finals | Pool Stage | Runners Up | Bart Sengers |
| 2018-19 | WBBL | 1 | 11th | 22 | 4 | 18 | 8 | 0.182 | Did not qualify | Pool Stage | Quarter-finals | Bart Sengers |
| 2019-20 | WBBL | 1 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Pool Stage | 1st round | Bart Sengers | ||||||
| 2020-21 | WBBL | 1 | 11th | 20 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 0.150 | Did not qualify | 1st round | Did not compete | Bart Sengers |
| 2021-22 | WBBL | 1 | 6th | 24 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 0.500 | Semi-finals | 1st round | Group Stage | Bart Sengers |
| Caledonia Gladiators | ||||||||||||
| 2022-23 | WBBL | 1 | 2nd | 22 | 17 | 5 | 34 | 0.773 | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Miguel Ángel Ortega Marco |
| 2023-24 | WBBL | 1 | 2nd | 20 | 16 | 4 | 343 | 0.800 | Quarter-finals | Chantelle Handy | ||
Players edit
Current roster edit
Note: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
|
Honours edit
- Runners-up: 2017-2018
References edit
- ^ a b Caledonia Gladiators win on British Basketball League debut in new East Kilbride home, BBC Sport, 6 October 2023
- ^ Woods, Mark (13 May 2016). "Basketball: Capital side added to league". The National. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ Egelstaff, Susan (16 September 2016). "Basketball: Wood full of pride as she fulfils her dream calling". The National. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ Sutherland, Sandy (2 August 2016). "Scotland's new women's basketball team named Caledonia Pride". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ Sutherland, Sandy (2 June 2016). "Bart Sengers sets out holy trinity for basketball". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "A statement on the future of Caledonia Pride". 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ Woods, Mark (13 June 2022). "PRIDE TO MOVE WEST, BECOME ROCKS". MVP247.com. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ Tiwari, Vidushi (13 July 2022). "Women's basketball takes a leap in Scotland with new pro team". STV. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Creation of new pro basketball team plus major investment will promote Scotland as a serious player in the UK basketball arena". WBBL. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.