Caledonia Gladiators win at new East Kilbride home 'just the start' in exciting season, says owner

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Caledonia Gladiators won their first league game in the club’s new home last Thursday night in front of a sellout crowd.The BBL Trophy winners hosted the Surrey Scorchers in the BBL fixture at their state-of-the-art arena, based at PlaySport Scotland leisure complex in Stewartfield.The Gladiators won the match 86-79 as they started this season’s league campaign in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,600 supporters.The new stadium project has been funded by leading businessman Steve Timoney and wife Alison, owners of the club.Steve said: “It’s been a really special night, topped off by a home win, and great to see such a big home support here as we begin life at our new arena.“This is just the start of what promises to be a really exciting season for our men’s and women’s teams, and there’s so much more to come here in the coming months.”As well as the match, supporters got the chance to experience the club’s new fan zone, which has a variety of hospitality options, seated eating areas and big screen TVs.Club coach Gareth Murray says having their own facility makes a huge difference, as the club often had to fight for court time at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.Murray said: “It’s like night and day.

It’s available to us almost every hour of every day.“We’ve got the men and women’s teams, we’ve got the high-performance, who have just started practice, so having our own facility is perfect for us and for the club to grow.”The women’s team’s first game at their new home will take place on October 18 against SL Benfica in a European tie.The stadium renovation is the first stage of a £20 million stadium project – the largest single investment in Scottish basketball history.Work will later begin on developing a new purpose-built