Caledonia Gladiators appoint ex-South Lanarkshire Council director as new CEO

Caledonia Gladiators have appointed former South Lanarkshire Council executive director Tony McDaid as their new chief executive.

McDaid, a former head teacher at the town's Calderglen High School, has left his £140k-a-year post with the local authority to start the new role on Monday.

He has been executive director of education resources at SLC since January 2017.

It is not his first association with the basketball outfit, having coached at the club - formerly Glasgow Rocks - since 2013 as part of the coaching setup on the Lady Rocks team.

Gladiators are re-locating to East Kilbride from Glasgow's Emirates Arena and are in the process of constructing a new state-of the-art arena at Playsport in the Stewartfield area of the town.

Playsport, which is run by Gladiators owners Steve and Alison Timoney, will host a £20 million 6000-seater stadium by 2026, with an initial, temporary development of a 1800-seater arena due to open on the site in August.

McDaid will be a key figure in that transition, while also lending his expertise to assist the club with its youth development.

A statment from the club read: "We can officially confirm the appointment of Tony McDaid as the Chief Executive of Caledonia Gladiators Basketball.

"Experienced in basketball as a player and currently a senior leader within education in Scotland, Tony joins the club as their first CEO in history, joining the leadership team as they prepare for a crucial 2023/24 season, and the move to their new East Kilbride arena.

"Tony has worked with South Lanarkshire Council as Executive Director of Education since 2017.

"In this role, Tony has been responsible for delivering the highest quality of education to children and young people in South Lanarkshire and