Caledonia Gladiators appoint Tony McDaid as CEO, while NBA announce new partnership with basketballscotland

Caledonia Gladiators have confirmed the appointment of Tony McDaid as the franchise’s first-ever Chief Executive officer.

Experienced in basketball as a player and currently a senior leader within education in Scotland, McDaid will officially join the leadership team as they prepare for a crucial 2023/24 season on June 19, and the move to their new state-of-the-art 6,000 seater East Kilbride arena.

McDaid has worked with South Lanarkshire Council as Executive Director of Education since 2017. In that role, he has been responsible for delivering the highest quality of education to children and young people in South Lanarkshire and leaves a legacy behind that has had significant impact on the lives of children and young people and the community that has been recognised both nationally and internationally.

He also has an extensive commitment and track record in youth development having coached Lady Rocks since 2013 and has offered significant time to developing basketball over this period. This can be seen in the progress made during last season by Caledonia Gladiators talented youth players, Emma Kerr, Sally Campbell, Kerry McGhee and Zoe Sharpe, who made the step-up to the WBBL.

McDaid said: “I’m delighted to be joining the club in a time of such potential and huge opportunity. I’m thoroughly looking forward to building on the success of last season, getting to know the fans and supporting our owners, Steve and Alison Timoney’s ambitions.”

Meanwhile, Basketballscotland and the NBA have teamed up to encourage youth participation in the sport in Scotland.

This weekend, more than 100 youngsters from across Scotland will take to the court at Dundee International Sports Centre decked in the kit of the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics and more NBA favourites at a Jr. NBA event in partnership with the world’s most famous professional basketball league and brand.

As part of a series events in the run up to this festival, the organisations partnered on the world’s first wheelchair Jr. NBA which took place in West Lothian last month.

Basketballscotland chairman Stephen Ferguson admitted: “Basketball is a sport that’s inclusive across ability, race and gender, and completely in line with the type of modern, progressive Scotland we all want to see. Currently there are a lot of people playing pick-up basketball who are not playing organised basketball within Scotland. We want to reach out to those communities. It’s important that we reach out to Scotland’s diverse communities by making what we do relevant to them.

“For the first time in a long time there’s significant financial investment coming into the sport, but this is just the beginning. The potential of basketball in Scotland is extraordinary. Our goal is to get to the heart of communities, and give people opportunities to realise their potential, build their character, and help make them contribute meaningfully to basketball, their communities and Scotland as a whole.”