Husband and wife duo Steve and Alison Timoney own both the Caledonia Gladiators professional basketball team and luxury castle and wedding venue Crossbasket Castle.

Where is your business based?

Steve – You could say we’re building a business empire in South Lanarkshire. We own Crossbasket Castle, a luxury, five-star hotel and exclusive-use wedding venue, alongside Scotland’s professional basketball team Caledonia Gladiators.

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Alison – We also own Playsport, which is home to our newly built multi-million-pound stadium for the Caledonia Gladiators alongside other tenants including our son Ben’s new business, GP Racing Simulators. Additionally, we own Crossbasket nursery, run by our daughter Stephanie.

What does it produce/do?

Steve – Caledonia Gladiators is a basketball franchise encompassing Scotland’s professional men’s and women’s teams, plus our high-performance programme where we nurture the very best talent.

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Our home at Playsport is one of the best arenas in the British Basketball League, with a tremendous fan zone that brings an incredible atmosphere to our games. This is only phase one as we plan to develop a larger arena in the future. Alison – At Crossbasket Castle, we’re undergoing a £16 million renovation. The castle provides a luxury setting for an exclusive-use wedding or event but we’re developing an additional 40-bedroom hotel, destination restaurant, two five-bedroom eco-friendly lodges, and a spa.

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Our tagline is “pure escapism”. We want everyone to experience this whether getting married in our romantic Scottish castle, dining in our new Trocadero’s restaurant centred around celebrating live entertainment and exceptional food by Michel Roux Jr., or indulging in our woodland lodge spa surrounded by waterfalls and forestry.

To whom does it sell?

Steve – Caledonia Gladiators have an extremely loyal fanbase and, since opening the new stadium last year, we’ve been overwhelmed with the number of new faces at each game. We’ve developed a family-friendly offering that provides first-class sporting entertainment for all.

Alison – Our new hotel, restaurant and spa offering will cater to those looking to unwind and enjoy new experiences seven days per week.

What is its turnover?

Steve – We’ve doubled the turnover for Caledonia Gladiators to £1m, while Crossbasket Castle operates at a turnover of £3m but we plan to double that within the first two years of opening the new development.

How many employees?

Alison – Currently, across both businesses, we have nearly 100 full-time members of staff. However, this will increase to 150 as part of the castle development.

What attracted you to your current role?

Steve – While we had worked together previously, we had never co-owned a business and we thought Crossbasket would be a fantastic project for us.

Alison – We’ve previously renovated period properties and after viewing Crossbasket Castle, we instantly saw phenomenal potential.

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Steve – Alison is fantastic at visualising transformations and she knew it could be something special. It was a labour of love but she focuses on the detail and we managed to restore the majority of the historic features to maintain its heritage. Alison – We’ve replicated this within the stadium – it’s all about the detail and creating a unique experience.

What were you doing before?

Steve – I was the founder of AIM-listed Smart Metering Systems, which was recently taken over privately.

Alison – I was a management accountant working in industry.

What do you least enjoy?

Alison – Not being able to switch off and self-critiquing everything. I take a lot of pride in our businesses, so I always want to improve.

Steve – We can’t enjoy what we’ve created for others and that’s a bit of a bizarre thing.

What do you consider to be the main successes of the business?

Alison – The legacy of playing a part in people’s narratives. Trocadero’s, our new restaurant, is inspired by nostalgia and we want Crossbasket Castle to create cherished memories to last a lifetime.

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Steve – Success to us is how we can create products that people can access and add to their lives. Crossbasket Castle is an escape for people to spend time with loved ones, and at Caledonia Gladiators, it’s about inspiring the next generation and giving everyone, no matter their background, the chance to succeed. We can give people self-belief – that to me is success.

Alison – Same goes for our charitable foundation. It’s about creating sustainable models to support long term as opposed to single donations to charity.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

Steve – Through Caledonia Gladiators, our goal is to transform Scotland into a basketball nation. We already get fans from every corner of the country, but we want to continue to grow that.

Alison – We take huge pride in what we have achieved at Crossbasket Castle. Our goal is to build on our success with this next phase and welcome more guests than ever before. What single thing would most help?

Steve – We’ve put an incredible amount of time and energy, not to mention investment, into both businesses and we believe in their success.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

Alison – Hard work pays off and you need to be resilient. Steve – Give it everything you’ve got or don’t do it.

What was your best moment?

Alison –Winning the BBL Trophy for Caledonia Gladiators in March 2023 – it was the first tangible result from our efforts to that point and it was incredible.

Steve – We were on a high for weeks and I recognised what sport can really do to inspire people.

At Crossbasket Castle, we started redevelopment during the pandemic. Everyone told us “don’t” but we were brave enough to go ahead.

It was a defining moment for us being able to make the hard decisions. What has been your most challenging moment in life or business?

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Steve – I came from one of the most deprived areas in Glasgow and people didn’t believe I could do it, but I remember thinking I’ve got to get out of here. It was extremely challenging but I focused intensely and found strength to succeed.

Alison – We’re very aligned in finding solutions for every problem and making the most of opportunities.

How do you relax?

Steve – Travel whenever we can, whether it be in our camper van or overseas. That for us is relaxation. Enjoying the simple things in life together.

What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most?

Steve – “You don’t need to see the full staircase to take the first step.”

Alison – “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best?

Steve – I listen to audiobooks in the car as a way to switch off from work. But it tends to be business books I listen to – ones that I can learn from.

Where do you find yourself most at ease?

Alison – We are most at ease together and that helps when running multiple businesses together – we help bring out the best in each other.

If you weren’t in your current role, what job would you most fancy?

Steve – I learned to play the guitar during lockdown and I’ve really enjoyed it so I’d maybe be a musician. Who knows, maybe you’ll even see me on the Trocadero’s line up. Alison – I would be a detective. I love uncovering the plotline.

Interview by Ian McConnell