Caledonia Gladiators - Dames
Wikipedia - Caledonia Gladiators (women)
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).
History
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. 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. 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. 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.
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.