Interview: entrepreneur Steve Timoney on his move from SMS boss to owner of East Kilbride-based basketball team Caledonia Gladiators

Entrepreneur’s move from smart meters to slam dunks.

Steve Timoney is the owner of Caledonia Gladiators, having along with wife Alison bought the East Kilbride-based basketball team in 2022, and last year committed a £20 million investment in a new arena in the town for the club. That came after the businessman in 1995 founded Smart Metering Systems (SMS), whose £1.3 billion sale to an NYC private equity firm was announced in December 2023. And he has “mixed feelings” about the deal, explaining: “I’ve had everything I would have hoped to get from it, but I’m letting something go that means a lot to me.”

The entrepreneur, who grew up in Easterhouse and started his career as a gas engineer, and whose other business interests include luxury hotel Crossbasket Castle, also says: “The greatest joy I get now is helping people develop a real sense of self-belief. I came from one of the most deprived areas in Europe – and people didn’t believe I could do it. I had times in my life that were hard, but it made me focus intensely on success – and I found strength to punch through. I want to help those people going through same difficulties and desperation.”

What was your motivation behind your major investment in basketball and how will it benefit both the sport and people in Scotland?

The businessman says he is less focused on helping existing entrepreneurs, and more on 'inspiring somebody to believe in their ability to go on and do great things'. Picture: contributed.

It wasn’t our intention to buy into basketball in the way we have. We had since 2006 been sponsors of the Lady Rocks – the amateur women’s club and its development pathway – but we wanted to do more. At that time, there was no professional basketball at the top of the Lady Rocks pathway, and we were losing players to international clubs, so we acquired the Caledonia Pride professional women’s franchise from Basketball Scotland.

We contacted the owner of the professional men’s franchise, Glasgow Rocks, and it became apparent that we had the opportunity to buy the team. We thought that would really allow us to do something that would significantly impact Scotland. We brought the men’s and women’s professional teams together within one club and renamed it Caledonia Gladiators, creating a team for the whole of Scotland. We wanted to transform Scotland into a basketball nation.

Now, we have developed our home at Playsport in East Kilbride, and it is one of the most beautiful arenas in the British Basketball League, with a tremendous fan zone. But this is only phase one – and we have plans to develop a larger arena.

What is your long-term goal for Caledonia Gladiators?

Steve Timoney and wife Alison, who have made what is billed as the largest single investment in Scottish basketball history. Picture: Steve Welsh.

Ultimately, I want Scotland to be a place you go to see topflight basketball and great skills, but that will only happen if we invest in training people how to do it and get excited about it. It should allow young people from any part of Scotland to pick up a ball, find a makeshift hoop to put it through and, if they are willing to do the work, we can help them develop those skills. We want to create a team that Scotland can really celebrate, and we do already get fans from every corner of the country, but we want to grow that. Could we create our very own Tartan Army? I’d be delighted with that.

How can it help foster women in sport, which has been given increasing prominence in recent years?

There is a desire to celebrate women in sport, but we need to do it in the right way. Often, there is a drive to fill women’s sporting events, and tickets are given away. But I don’t want to fill the arena unless it’s fans that care. I can’t align myself to giving seats away for nothing, because are we then saying our women’s team is worth nothing? My job is to get fans along who will come back week after week.

We’re in conversations with the Women’s British Basketball League to shape that into something really special. It’s important to us that we give both of our professional teams the same opportunities and access to the same facilities – even where that does cost more at the moment. But it’s about playing the long game and it would be nice if women’s basketball became the case study for other women’s sport teams to follow.

What parallels do you see between creating business and sporting success? Would you like to see other entrepreneurs and businesses in Scotland support basketball?

Sport teaches you strategy, discipline, and team skills, and builds the confidence and tenacity you need to become a leader in the business community. It also teaches you how to deal with failure, and how to bounce back. I believe all entrepreneurial people who make good money should get involved in sport, and give young people opportunities to go on and do great things. We are always looking for business sponsors and partners.

How will you keep supporting Scottish entrepreneurs and businesses?

For me, it’s less about helping existing entrepreneurs, and more about the stages before that. My skillset is more aligned in inspiring somebody to believe in their ability to go on and do great things. I get asked by businesses for advice or to join their board, but I'm not really the guy for them. However, if someone reaches out to me and says a kid has great skills but can't afford their own basketball shoes, they would be on our pathway and under my wing in short order. Because that's kind of people I can help most. That’s where I came from, and I know how to push through.

Which entrepreneurs do you admire, and which basketball players?

From a basketball perspective, I can’t help but admire Prince Onwas from our men’s team. He is both humble and gentle, but a true warrior on the court. He will be someone we will be reading about for the great things he’s done for years to come.