Latest news with #CaledoniaGladiators
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Caledonia Gladiators owner hails fan backing as he teases 'even bigger season' to come in 2025/26
Steve Timoney has thanked supporters in an open letter after another season of trophy success at the club Caledonia Gladiators owner Steve Timoney has thanked fans for their support in another history-making year and promised to provide a bigger and better campaign next season. The club, based at Playsport in Stewartfield, saw their women's side lift silverware in the SLB Trophy, becoming the first female side in Scotland to do so. That followed on from the men's team winning the BBL Trophy the previous season. However, the men's side did not fare as well on the court this term as they finished bottom of the league, with head coach Gareth Murray sacked early in the campaign. Changes were made to the coaching staff across the rest of the season, eventually leading to Jonny Bunyan taking the reins as the club closed out the 2024/25 season. In an open letter to fans, Timoney thanked the Gladiators faithful for their backing and teased that exciting times lie ahead next season. He said: 'We are more than just a basketball club, we are a community, and without your passion and support throughout the season, none of this would be possible. 'This season, you've shown us what true support looks like. From the roar that fills our Arena to the quiet pride of sporting Gladiators colours wherever you go, your energy has lit up every moment – from the first tip-off to the final buzzer. 'We've faced challenges, we've celebrated victories, and your loyalty has reminded us why we do what we do. 'We believe that basketball can thrive in Scotland and that we're building a club that is not just about the present but is also laying the groundwork for future generations of the community that we are growing. 'This year brought history: our women's team lifted the 2024/25 SLB Trophy – Scotland's first-ever silverware for a female basketball team. A monumental achievement, and one that signals the bright future we're building together. 'We also welcomed club legend Jonny Bunyan back to the court but this time as the men's Head Coach and it's been fantastic to watch Jonny build momentum within the team. 'As the season closes, we look ahead with excitement to continue striving to achieve our vision of building a Basketball Nation. 'We're reflecting on our successes so far as we continue on our journey of creating something special – a community within Scotland that celebrates the very best of basketball for generations to come. 'But this journey wouldn't be the same without you. So, from the entire Caledonia Gladiators family – thank you for standing with us, game after game. 'This is only the beginning. We can't wait to share what's next as we gear up for an even bigger 2025/26 season.'
The Herald Scotland
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Erin McGarrachan: The reality of retirement still hasn't sunk in
Her journey has taken her from her hometown of Cumbernauld across the Atlantic and back and despite encountering a few obstacles, McGarrachan is in little doubt that the highs far outnumber the lows in a career that has lasted considerably longer than she anticipated. McGarrachan struts into retirement off the back of not only one of her most successful seasons personally, but also a history-making season for the club with which she's spent the past three seasons, Caledonia Gladiators. In winning the women's side's first-ever silverware in the shape of the Trophy Finals title in January, McGarrachan and her teammates wrote themselves into the history books and this result, as well as a fourth place Championship finish and a run to the Playoffs semi-finals, ensure McGarrachan is departing on a high which has, she admits, made walking away marginally easier 'Being retired still feels surreal and it's not fully sunk in yet,' Gladiators' captain says. 'The reality hit me when we finished our final game of the season last Saturday - I don't usually get emotional but when the final whistle went, I really did tear up because the realisation hit me that my final game was over. 'I couldn't have asked for a better season to finish on, though, and I feel like I got everything out of this last season that I could ever have dreamed of. 'I have had moments of wondering if retiring was the right thing, like when I've had really good practices or when I was really enjoying the moment with my teammates, but I've been reminded on more than one occasion when my whole body's aching that it probably is time to step away.' As a teenager, McGarrachan was singled-out as a promising talent and a basketball scholarship at the University of Texas El Paso duly followed. It was here, though, that she encountered the first significant challenge of her career. 'When I went to college in the States, I thought it was going to be great but at the end of my first year, the coach sat me down and told me I was a great person and a great student, but I wasn't going to be a basketball player in her programme,' McGarrachan recalls. 'I was young and had all these hopes and dreams so to have someone telling you you're never going to make it was really tough. 'But I had a lot of good people around me who told me that even though she didn't think I was going to make it, that didn't mean I couldn't go elsewhere and be successful.' Go somewhere else was exactly what McGarrachan did, transferring to Houston Baptist University where she forged a stellar collegiate career, with a particular highlight being her side's run to the Conference Final. By this point, McGarrachan had caught the eye of the GB selectors and, despite a year on the sidelines due to a serious foot injury, she was well on her way to forging a successful professional career. Stints with English side, Leicester Riders, and BK Duchess in Austria followed but, as the Covid pandemic took over the globe in 2020, McGarrachan effectively retired, choosing to pursue a career in accountancy. Until, that is, a call came from offices of the newly formed Scottish professional team, Caledonia Gladiators. (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) McGarrachan's decision to return to top-level basketball wasn't immediate, but it ultimately became what she calls a 'no-brainer'. 'It was Lisa Palombo (Gladiators' Head of WBBL) who said to me about this professional club being started up, and asked, was I going to let that opportunity pass me by?,' McGarrachan says. 'Coming back to basketball wasn't an easy decision, though, because I was already old to be starting my accountancy career so it wasn't as simple as just walking away from a regular job to go back and play basketball, which has a shelf life. 'But, ultimately, I realised what an opportunity it was to join Gladiators and I'm so glad I did go back to basketball.' McGarrachan is too modest to shout about the influence she's had on basketball, especially the women's game, but her impact is undeniable. Caledonia Gladiators as a club, and the women's team specifically, has become a significant force within British basketball, with McGarrachan a major player in the transformation of the sport over the past decade. And she admits reflecting on the journey the sport has taken, and her part in it, is quite breath-taking. 'When I played in England, the difference between how the men's and the women's teams were treated was very prevalent whereas when I look at what we've got here in Scotland, there's absolutely no difference between how the men and women are treated, and that's amazing,' she says. 'In the past three years at Gladiators, the women's fan base has grown tenfold, and the greatest thing is there's a lot of young kids coming to see our games. 'I never set out to be a role model, I just really enjoyed playing basketball, but to have turned into one is incredible. 'It gives you such a massive boost knowing that you're not just running up and down a court after a ball, there is a wider, more meaningful purpose.' With basketball having been both a constant and a dominant presence in McGarrachan's life for so many years, she has little doubt as to the hole retirement will leave. And having been surrounded by teammates all her career, she admits the prospect of being without them is somewhat daunting. 'There's no question I'm going to miss the sport massively,' she says. 'I think I'll always be an active person, but you just don't get that same high from anything else that you get in competition. 'And there's the interaction with your teammates and with the fans. You just can't replace that. 'You have a special connection to your teammates because you have to work with them to make the magic happen. They always have your back, you go through the highs and lows together, and you're always there for each other, so I'll miss having that.' Having already joined the accountancy department at the business of the club's owners, the Timoneys, McGarrachan's future remains at Caledonia Gladiators and although she's ruling out a move into the coaching sphere for now, she's more than aware that she'd be a fool to predict too far into the future. 'I have the best of all worlds by being able to stay involved in basketball and also continue my accountancy career,' she says. 'Coaching has never really appealed to me, although who knows how I'll feel in the future. 'Basketball will always be in my life, whether that's as a fan, a coach, a mentor or anything else, but it does have a way of pulling me back in.'
The National
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Erin McGarrachan: The reality of retirement still hasn't sunk in
Over the past decade-and-a-half, McGarrachan has dedicated her life to basketball, becoming Scotland's most successful-ever female basketball player and playing a significant role in transforming women's basketball in this country. At the age of 33, however, McGarrachan has decided now's the time to call it a day at the highest level. Her journey has taken her from her hometown of Cumbernauld across the Atlantic and back and despite encountering a few obstacles, McGarrachan is in little doubt that the highs far outnumber the lows in a career that has lasted considerably longer than she anticipated. McGarrachan struts into retirement off the back of not only one of her most successful seasons personally, but also a history-making season for the club with which she's spent the past three seasons, Caledonia Gladiators. In winning the women's side's first-ever silverware in the shape of the Trophy Finals title in January, McGarrachan and her teammates wrote themselves into the history books and this result, as well as a fourth place Championship finish and a run to the Playoffs semi-finals, ensure McGarrachan is departing on a high which has, she admits, made walking away marginally easier 'Being retired still feels surreal and it's not fully sunk in yet,' Gladiators' captain says. 'The reality hit me when we finished our final game of the season last Saturday - I don't usually get emotional but when the final whistle went, I really did tear up because the realisation hit me that my final game was over. 'I couldn't have asked for a better season to finish on, though, and I feel like I got everything out of this last season that I could ever have dreamed of. 'I have had moments of wondering if retiring was the right thing, like when I've had really good practices or when I was really enjoying the moment with my teammates, but I've been reminded on more than one occasion when my whole body's aching that it probably is time to step away.' As a teenager, McGarrachan was singled-out as a promising talent and a basketball scholarship at the University of Texas El Paso duly followed. It was here, though, that she encountered the first significant challenge of her career. 'When I went to college in the States, I thought it was going to be great but at the end of my first year, the coach sat me down and told me I was a great person and a great student, but I wasn't going to be a basketball player in her programme,' McGarrachan recalls. 'I was young and had all these hopes and dreams so to have someone telling you you're never going to make it was really tough. 'But I had a lot of good people around me who told me that even though she didn't think I was going to make it, that didn't mean I couldn't go elsewhere and be successful.' Go somewhere else was exactly what McGarrachan did, transferring to Houston Baptist University where she forged a stellar collegiate career, with a particular highlight being her side's run to the Conference Final. By this point, McGarrachan had caught the eye of the GB selectors and, despite a year on the sidelines due to a serious foot injury, she was well on her way to forging a successful professional career. Stints with English side, Leicester Riders, and BK Duchess in Austria followed but, as the Covid pandemic took over the globe in 2020, McGarrachan effectively retired, choosing to pursue a career in accountancy. Until, that is, a call came from offices of the newly formed Scottish professional team, Caledonia Gladiators. (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) McGarrachan's decision to return to top-level basketball wasn't immediate, but it ultimately became what she calls a 'no-brainer'. 'It was Lisa Palombo (Gladiators' Head of WBBL) who said to me about this professional club being started up, and asked, was I going to let that opportunity pass me by?,' McGarrachan says. 'Coming back to basketball wasn't an easy decision, though, because I was already old to be starting my accountancy career so it wasn't as simple as just walking away from a regular job to go back and play basketball, which has a shelf life. 'But, ultimately, I realised what an opportunity it was to join Gladiators and I'm so glad I did go back to basketball.' McGarrachan is too modest to shout about the influence she's had on basketball, especially the women's game, but her impact is undeniable. Caledonia Gladiators as a club, and the women's team specifically, has become a significant force within British basketball, with McGarrachan a major player in the transformation of the sport over the past decade. And she admits reflecting on the journey the sport has taken, and her part in it, is quite breath-taking. 'When I played in England, the difference between how the men's and the women's teams were treated was very prevalent whereas when I look at what we've got here in Scotland, there's absolutely no difference between how the men and women are treated, and that's amazing,' she says. 'In the past three years at Gladiators, the women's fan base has grown tenfold, and the greatest thing is there's a lot of young kids coming to see our games. 'I never set out to be a role model, I just really enjoyed playing basketball, but to have turned into one is incredible. 'It gives you such a massive boost knowing that you're not just running up and down a court after a ball, there is a wider, more meaningful purpose.' With basketball having been both a constant and a dominant presence in McGarrachan's life for so many years, she has little doubt as to the hole retirement will leave. And having been surrounded by teammates all her career, she admits the prospect of being without them is somewhat daunting. 'There's no question I'm going to miss the sport massively,' she says. 'I think I'll always be an active person, but you just don't get that same high from anything else that you get in competition. 'And there's the interaction with your teammates and with the fans. You just can't replace that. 'You have a special connection to your teammates because you have to work with them to make the magic happen. They always have your back, you go through the highs and lows together, and you're always there for each other, so I'll miss having that.' Having already joined the accountancy department at the business of the club's owners, the Timoneys, McGarrachan's future remains at Caledonia Gladiators and although she's ruling out a move into the coaching sphere for now, she's more than aware that she'd be a fool to predict too far into the future. 'I have the best of all worlds by being able to stay involved in basketball and also continue my accountancy career,' she says. 'Coaching has never really appealed to me, although who knows how I'll feel in the future. 'Basketball will always be in my life, whether that's as a fan, a coach, a mentor or anything else, but it does have a way of pulling me back in.'
The National
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Kirsty Brown: Caledonia Gladiators are peaking when it matters most
Her innate competitiveness is what's driving her and her team, Caledonia Gladiators, as they go into their Superleague Basketball Playoff semi-final today but it's her Scottish connections that ensure it means that bit more to her. Gladiators have already made history this season by winning the women's side's first-ever silverware when they claimed the Trophy Finals title in January. But Brown knows that she and her team are now only 80 minutes away from making this season more successful than they could ever have imagined. With a second trophy now within touching distance, Brown knows what's at stake. An impressive 90-77 victory over Manchester in the Playoffs quarter-finals last weekend has given the Scottish side both confidence and momentum as the season comes to a climax and the 6'2' forward believes her side is peaking at just the right time. 'The game against Manchester was super competitive but we really doubled-down in the fourth quarter and were able to pull ahead so that win was huge for us,' the 25-year-old says. 'We have such a long, hard season and it can be hard to keep going when you get to this point so it's been so important for us to have these big wins under our belt in recent games. It feels like all the work we've put in is really coming to fruition at just the right time. 'Peaking at this point of the season is the dream and that's what it feels like we're doing.' Kirsty Brown (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) This afternoon, in the Playoffs semi-final, Gladiators will take on favourites for the title and Championship winners, Oakland Wolves. With Oakland having the home tie, the English side are favourites to progress to the final but what could be a significant factor is Gladiators' win over Oakland in the Trophy Finals earlier this year. Knowing they've already defeated Oakland in a game of huge significance does, admits Brown, give the Scottish side a considerable boost but she's also well aware that today's match has the potential to be their toughest of the entire season. 'We've not beaten Oakland in the regular season but to have beaten them in the Trophy Finals is huge for us. They've not lost at home this season so hopefully beating them on their home court is a really exciting prospect,' she says. 'We've taken confidence from the Trophy Finals win but we're also not getting complacent about the fact that we won that because we know how hard a game this will be. We go into this game without any doubt in our minds but we know it's going to be a very, very tough game. 'We want to focus on what we do well and if we can manage that, we should be in a very good spot.' Brown was born in Edinburgh before relocating to California at the age of 6. Her return to Scotland, when she signed for Gladiators in 2023, has been something of a personal triumph on the court but even more significantly, Brown has noticed a real shift in the recognition basketball, and significantly women's basketball, is receiving off the back of Gladiators success, 'The weather's just a bit different to California but other than that I'm loving being back in Scotland,' she says. 'It's so much fun being a part of this club and seeing how much we've grown this season compared to last season has been amazing. 'We're even starting to get recognised out in public which is massive for women's sport because often female athletes just don't get recognised. 'To see the growth of the club and the awareness of the sport has been amazing and it's very exciting to continue to pushing Gladiators forwards.'
The National
04-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Robb: Gladiators have one trophy this season, but we want another
Today, Robb and her teammates embark on the Superleague Basketball Playoffs, with the Scottish side taking on Manchester in the quarter-finals. A successful 120 minutes over the coming weeks would see them lift the Playoffs trophy and as desperate as Robb is for that to be achieved, she's adamant her side are looking, for now anyway, no further than this afternoon. 'If we could win the next three games, it would just be absolutely incredible so it's really exciting to have this opportunity,' the 27-year-old from Arbroath says. 'Ultimately our goal is to win the playoffs, but we have to take it one game at a time and our focus this week is only on beating Manchester. 'We're really trying to solely focus on ourselves and not get too caught up on the what-ifs.' (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) Gladiators are a side brimming with confidence having already made history this season by winning the women's side's first-ever silverware when they won the Trophy Finals in January and so while this title has instilled a desire for further success, there's no hint of complacency heading into this afternoon's quarter-final. The Scots are one apiece with Manchester in the Championship this season and given the two sides finished level on points, Robb is in little doubt as to quite how little separates the teams. She expects this afternoon's game to be on a knife-edge but with Gladiators enjoying home advantage courtesy of their fourth-place league finish, Robb is hopeful this will give them the edge they'll need to progress to the semi-finals. 'The Trophy Finals win was huge for us as a team and as a club, and we've taken a lot of confidence from that win. Having won that trophy in January, it's made us want another one even more and knowing that we've been in these high-pressure situations before gives us confidence,' she says. 'And against Manchester, it'll be a close contest so having the home tie is huge for us.' (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) Robb, who returned to Gladiators in the summer of 2023 after a stint at Leicester Riders, has an extra layer of appreciation for the situation she's in having spent the past three months on the sidelines due to a concussion she suffered just days after Gladiators' Trophy Finals win in January. Her time out of the competitive arena has only served to strengthen her appreciation for the opportunity that's presenting itself in the Playoffs and so her drive to finish this season on a high is fuelled by both personal ambition and the realisation of what yet more success can do for Scottish basketball and women's sport as a whole in Scotland. 'It feels so good to be back playing because it was hard being on the sidelines for that long,' the guard says. 'When something has been taken away from you, you really appreciate getting it back and you realise how much you want it. 'And to make it back for the Playoffs is great - I've grown up playing in the Scottish system so to be a part of a club having this kind of success really is special. "This is just the beginning for the club which is so exciting because the younger girls are able see the opportunities that are here and that's invaluable. 'As a team, we're really proud to be role models and do what we can to push the sport forward.'
