Basketball Scotland is delighted to confirm that five clubs across Scotland have been successful in securing investment through the new Club Support Programme, made possible through additional funding from the Scottish Government via sportscotland.
The investment, worth in excess of £100,000 per year over the next three years, represents a significant moment for basketball in Scotland and will support clubs to strengthen their capacity, professionalise elements of their delivery, and create new opportunities for people to engage with the sport.
Successful clubs include:
- Grampian Flyers
- City of Edinburgh
- Dunfermline Reign
- Dundee Madsons
- NL Chiefs
The successful projects span a broad range of ambitions and innovative ideas, with clubs securing support to introduce professional staffing roles including:
- Club Development Officer
- Club Operations and Finance Co-ordinator
- Development and Communications Lead
- Community Basketball Development Coach
These roles are designed not simply to sustain existing activity, but to create new opportunities and additional capacity — growing participation, improving player experiences, and helping clubs become stronger, safer, more sustainable and more inclusive for the future.
A Significant Moment for the Whole Game
Whilst funding has been awarded to a limited number of clubs through this initial phase, Basketball Scotland has been hugely encouraged by the level of ambition shown right across the club network.
In total, the programme generated more than £500,000 in expressions of interest, reflecting a strong appetite amongst basketball clubs to professionalise, modernise, and expand their impact within local communities.
The process highlighted not only exciting ideas and innovation, but also the growing ambition that exists across Scottish basketball to strengthen clubs, reach new participants, and create better environments for players, coaches, officials and volunteers.
David Fallon, Chief Executive Officer of Basketball Scotland, said:
“This investment represents a genuinely significant moment for basketball in Scotland and a major vote of confidence in the role our clubs play within communities across the country.
We are absolutely delighted for the clubs who have secured investment and the exciting plans they now have the opportunity to deliver. These projects will create stronger pathways into the game, better environments for participants, and increased capacity to grow basketball within communities.
Importantly though, this is bigger than just a small number of successful clubs. What this process showed us is the incredible level of ambition that exists right across Scottish basketball. Clubs are thinking bigger, more strategically, and are increasingly looking at how they can professionalise and strengthen what they offer.
Not every ambitious idea was able to progress at this stage, and with a limited funding pot there were difficult choices to make. But this is not the end of the conversation — in many ways, it is the start of an exciting next chapter for how we support and strengthen clubs across Scotland.
If we want stronger pathways, better experiences and sustainable growth for basketball, then we need stronger, more sustainable clubs at the heart of our system — and this investment helps us take an important step toward that.”
Supporting the Wider Club Network
Alongside celebrating the successful projects, Basketball Scotland has also confirmed new investment into a wider Club Education & Support Programme, led by Head of Club & Community Development, Amy Kirkhouse, in partnership with Club Development Solutions.
The programme will support clubs across areas including governance, incorporation, fundraising, legal structures, facility development, marketing, sustainability and wider club modernisation.
The new support offer comes following clear learning from the Club Support Programme process, which highlighted differing levels of organisational readiness across the club network for employing staff and managing larger-scale public investment.
Amy Kirkhouse, Head of Club & Community Development, said:
“The level of ambition shown by clubs through this process has been really exciting to see. It has reinforced to us that there is a real desire within our clubs to professionalise in order to meet the demands of growing the game in Scotland.
We’ve had conversations with clubs who are thinking differently about how they grow participation, support volunteers, strengthen player pathways and create more opportunities within their communities.
For some clubs, this funding round may also have highlighted areas where further support would be beneficial — whether that’s governance, incorporation, workforce planning, sustainability or long-term club development.
That’s exactly why we’re launching our wider Club Education & Support Programme with Club Development Solutions. We want to take the learning from this process and make sure all clubs feel supported to develop, modernise and put themselves in the strongest possible position for future opportunities.
Whilst we are excited for these 5 clubs, this is not just about those receiving investment today — it’s about helping strengthen the whole basketball community across Scotland and we are committed to providing the right support to enable this to happen.”
Basketball Scotland looks forward to working closely with the successful clubs over the coming months and years to maximise the impact of this investment — while ensuring the learning and opportunities created help strengthen the wider basketball community across Scotland.
