Scottish basketball looks to tap into NBA in bid to grasp ‘once in a generation opportunity’

Basketball is the second most played team sport in the UK after football but struggles to attract funding and media coverage.

Caledonia Gladiators celebrate with the BBL Trophy after beating Cheshire Phoenix in the final. Picture: British Basketball League

It’s a far cry from the billion dollar business the sport is in the US but an event in Scotland this weekend is hoping to tap into a little of the NBA’s glamour. Basketballscotland are hosting a Jr. NBA youth festival in Dundee, part of the governing body’s drive to make it “Scotland’s new national sport”. The feeling is that basketball is on the cusp of something big in this country and it has been described as a “once in a generation opportunity” for the sport which is looking to piggyback on the increased investment in the Caledonia Gladiators professional team. The hope is that by focusing on participation, basketball can embed itself in Scotland in a way it hasn’t done before. The sport has struggled to attract private investment but now it’s there with the Gladiators who have ambitions to become Britain’s biggest basketball club and have pledged to spend £20 million on a purpose-built arena in East Kilbride which would be the first permanent home for the team formerly known as Glasgow Rocks.

This weekend, more than 100 youngsters from across Scotland will take to the court at the Dundee International Sports Complex as part of a partnership with the world’s most famous pro basketball league. Stephen Ferguson, the chairman of Basketballscotland, believes the popularity of the Jr. NBA, which has seen more than 2,000 Scots children introduced to the sport, combined with increased investment at professional level can turbocharge the game north of the border.

“The sport is definitely on the rise – the continued popularity of the Jr. NBA and the success of Caledonia Gladiators are major parts of the puzzle that make up the picture of how basketball in Scotland is changing, and beginning to realise its potential to become one of the biggest sports in the country,” said Ferguson. “This is a once in a generation opportunity. Basketball prides itself on being a sport for everyone, that builds communities and promotes social inclusion and diversity. We know there’s the perception that basketball is for tall people. But that’s not the case. The history of the sport shows that there’s an important place in basketball teams for people of any height.”

More than 2,000 children across Scotland have been introduced to basketball through Jr. NBA which will stage an event in Dundee this weekend. Picture: Lesley Martin

Amy Kirkhouse, social impact lead for basketballscotland, added: “Basketball appeals to a wide demographic so investment can help us attract more of those who currently have barriers to participation. It’s a fully inclusive sport - we are the only country to have male, female and wheelchair at Jr. NBA level. It’s one of the most played sports in the UK but with very little commercial imprint, until now.”

Ferguson and Kirkhouse hope the game-changer will be the investment made by Gladiators owners Steve and Alison Timoney who this week appointed Tony McDaid as the club’s chief executive. Tangible success came in March with victory over Cheshire Phoenix in the BBL Trophy final but the Gladiators’ ambitions stretch beyond domestic silverware. Having their own base will give them the ability “to grow the whole community of basketball in Scotland”, according to head coach Gareth Murray .

“We want to have hubs across the whole of Scotland, the more people we have playing basketball, the more opportunity we have for younger people to become professional basketball players,” he said. “It’s a huge thing for Caledonia Gladiators to have a purpose-built basketball facility with five training courts and the showpiece 6,000-seat arena. We have aspirations to play in Europe in the next few years, men and women. Could it be the home of British basketball as well? We have everything under one roof, the courts for the pathway, the community, the age groups. We want to have one of the best academies in Europe.”