Caledonia Gladiators welcomes record women’s crowd as club surpasses 25,000 fan milestone

Caledonia Gladiators broke a Scottish women's basketball attendance record at the weekend – as the basketball franchise surpassed welcoming 25,000 supporters to its new arena this season. 

The pro-basketball team has enjoyed strong attendances in the men’s and women’s game since debuting at its top-of-the-range Playsport complex in East Kilbride in October last year.

Now, the club is celebrating hitting the 25,000 fan milestone after the side’s women team welcomed over 1400 fans across two matches in the Women’s British Basketball League at the weekend against rivals London Lions and Newcastle Eagles.

The attendance for the Newcastle Eagles match on Sunday, which the club won 90-58, is believed to be the highest in the history of the women’s game in Scotland, with 917 supporters attending. It tops the previous high for the sport when nearly 600 supporters watched the women’s side play their first game in their new home when they defeated SL Benfica in October last year.

It comes as the Gladiators’ men’s and women’s team enjoy promising seasons, with the women’s team currently topping the table in the Women’s British Basketball League and the men’s team currently sitting in 3rd spot place in the British Basketball League.

Leading businessman Steve Timoney, owner of the men’s and women’s team, said: “We’re really proud to have now welcomed over 25,000 fans through the doors to our new home at Playsport in East Kilbride this season. Our women’s team is hugely important to us, so to welcome the best attendance in the history of the sport at club level in Scotland is really special.

“The reception we’ve had from people in the local area and beyond has been tremendous, and we’ve received such positive feedback on our matchday experience. We’re really proud of our new fan zone and how popular that has been with supporters. Our goal now is to continue building on the support we’ve received so far, and hopefully see some more big crowds as we get ready for some exciting games to finish our season.”

The men’s and women’s teams are both still in the running to take part in their respective play-off finals in the British Basketball League and Women’s Basketball League.

Miguel Angel Ortega Marco, Gladiators Women’s head coach and the club’s Head of Basketball, added: “It’s a real achievement to welcome a record crowd for a women’s club basketball team in Scotland and a tribute to how well our team has been doing. Our team loves playing at the new stadium, and we’re really thankful for our supporters for how they’ve backed the players since we moved here.”

Gladiators Men’s head coach Gareth Murray said: “The support we’ve had this season has been exceptional, so I’d like to thank everyone who has attended one of our games. The facilities here are incredible, which I think is reflected in our level of support, and it would be great to see big crowds at some of our final games this season.”

Upcoming home games include the men facing Cheshire Phoenix on 7 April, and Plymouth City Patriots on 14 April, while the women’s team host Leicester Riders on 21 April.

The stadium renovation is the first stage of a £20 million stadium project – the largest single investment in Scottish basketball history. The work has been funded by businessman Steve and wife Alison, owners of the club. Work will later begin on developing a new state-of-the-art purpose-built 6,000-seater arena and practice and community facility at the site.