Caledonia Gladiators are aiming to become the first Scottish women’s basketball team to win a major trophy when they compete in the Super League Trophy Final this weekend.
The East Kilbride side will take on the Oakland Wolves in Birmingham on Sunday.
Both sides are competing for their first-ever top level honours in the British game.
If the Gladiators are victorious in the final, it will be the first time a Scottish women’s team has ever won such a competition in the history of the sport in this country.
The final also marks a record number of Caledonia Gladiators fans that have travelled to a women’s away game with the club.
Head coach Chantelle Handy, who was one of the UK’s most decorated female basketball stars before retiring to take up the coaching role earlier this year, said the final is a huge moment for the game here.
She said: “Everyone at the club is so looking forward to Sunday’s game. It’s going to be an incredible occasion.
“My whole career has been focused around winning, and it’s the same with coaching, so the dream is that we win on Sunday and take the trophy to Scotland for the first time.
“It would be a huge moment for the sport here if we were to win this competition.
“We’ve had record crowds here for a Scottish team since moving to our new arena, as well as becoming the first Scottish women’s team to compete in Europe in 50 years, so winning a trophy like this would be a big next step for the club.”
Over 9,000 fans are expected to pack out the arena in the Sunday doubleheader – which will also see Newcastle Eagles take on Bristol Flyers in the men’s final.
The women’s team qualified for the final after defeating the Sheffield Hatters 68-62 in a home semi-final at the club’s PlaySport arena last month.
Club owner Steve Timoney said: “Chantelle and the team deserve huge credit for becoming the first Scottish women’s team to reach the Trophy Final.
“Sunday’s going to be a really special day for everyone at the club, and our aim is obviously to be the winners on the day.
“We’re really serious about the women’s game at the Caledonia Gladiators and becoming the first Scottish women’s team to win such silverware would be a really proud moment for everyone connected with the club.”
The final comes just under two years after the club’s men’s team won the franchise’s first silverware in twenty years when they defeated the Cheshire Phoenix 73-70 to win the then BBL Trophy.
The women’s team has gone on to become the first Scottish women’s basketball team to compete in European competition in 50 years, and won three of their four group stage matches, before losing in the knockout stages.
The women’s team have been in strong recent form, winning five of their last six matches, and currently sit in third position in the Super League Basketball.
The Caledonia Gladiators women’s team has only once before reached the final of a major competition – under its previous name of Caledonia Pride in season 2017-18 in the then WBBL cup – but they were runners up on the day.
The women’s competition is also known as the Betty Codona Trophy – named after the legendary women’s basketball pioneer Betty Codona who passed away in March 202
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
