GRIT Sports Performance Announces Second GSP Labs Location Inside GreenTree SportsPlex, Bringing Industry Leading Sports Science & Recovery to Pittsburgh

New partnership creates one of Western Pennsylvania's most comprehensive athlete development ecosystems by adding sports science, recovery, readiness monitoring, vision & neuro training, and innovative performance resources under its roof.

PITTSBURGH, PA — For years, many of the technologies, recovery modalities, and sports science resources used to help athletes perform at the highest level have largely been reserved for professional organizations, Olympic programs, and major collegiate athletic departments. Through a new partnership with GreenTree SportsPlex, GRIT Sports Performance is working to change that .

This August, GRIT Sports Performance will officially open its second GSP Labs by GRIT Sports Performance location inside GreenTree SportsPlex, creating one of the most comprehensive athlete development environments in Western Pennsylvania.

The new GSP Labs location will provide athletes, teams, coaches, athletic departments, adult wellness clients, and corporate partners access to advanced sports science, performance testing, recovery, readiness monitoring, vision and neurological training, and innovative performance technologies—resources that until recently were rarely available outside elite athletic organizations.

Expected to open ahead of the 2026 fall sports season, the facility will offer memberships, team partnerships, individual services, sports performance assessments, recovery programs, and educational opportunities, with exact opening dates, founding memberships, pre-launch promotions, and community events to be announced in the coming weeks.

The expansion marks the second brick-and-mortar GSP Labs location for GRIT Sports Performance, building on the success of its New Castle proof of concept while continuing the company's mission of making elite athlete development more accessible throughout Western Pennsylvania.

More importantly, the partnership represents a shared vision. Together, GRIT Sports Performance and GreenTree SportsPlex are creating a collaborative athlete ecosystem where sports science, recovery, performance testing, innovative training, competition, coaching, and athlete development work together—not as separate services, but as complementary pieces of a larger performance model.

"This is what we've been building toward," said Paul Fair, Founder & CEO of GRIT Sports Performance. "When I worked in places like IMG Academy and WWE, I saw firsthand what was possible when athletes had access to the right people, the right information, and the right resources. The reality is most young athletes never get that opportunity. My goal with GRIT has always been to change that. GreenTree SportsPlex gives us the next step in that opportunity to bring those same concepts into a single environment to athletes right here throughout Western Pennsylvania."

Bringing Best-in-Class Sports Science, Recovery & Innovative Training to Pittsburgh Athletes

GSP Labs by GRIT Sports Performance at GreenTree SportsPlex is being designed as a premier athlete development center where sports science, recovery, readiness monitoring, and innovative training converge to help athletes better understand, prepare, and care for their bodies.

Rather than focusing on a single service or technology, the GRIT model combines multiple disciplines to create a more complete picture of the athlete. Every assessment, recovery session, and performance service is intended to provide meaningful information that helps athletes, coaches, parents, athletic trainers, and medical professionals make more informed decisions throughout the training and competition process. The facility will feature industry-leading performance and recovery technologies from companies including VALD Performance, Hyperice, Trident Cryotherapy, PlatinumLED Therapy Lights, ARES Elite Vision, Senaptec, and other best-in-class providers.

Sports Science & Performance

Athletes will have access to advanced testing and assessment services and protocols designed to objectively measure performance, identify strengths and limitations, monitor progress, and establish individualized development strategies.

Planned offerings include metabolic testing, readiness monitoring, movement analysis, performance profiling, sport-specific assessments, talent identification/recruiting support and athlete reporting that transforms data into practical, actionable insights.

Recovery & Regeneration

Recovery at GRIT extends well beyond simply helping athletes feel better after training.

The GreenTree location will feature Whole Body Cryotherapy, compression therapy, infrared sauna, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, red light therapy, percussion therapy, and other recovery modalities designed to help athletes recover more efficiently, improve consistency, and better prepare for future training and competition.

Rather than viewing recovery as the finish line after training, GRIT treats recovery as an essential component of long-term athlete development.

Vision & Neuro Performance

Recognizing that athletic performance extends far beyond physical ability, GSP Labs will also incorporate vision and neuro-performance technologies focused on improving reaction time, visual processing, decision-making, coordination, and cognitive performance.

These systems provide athletes with another opportunity to develop skills that directly influence performance across virtually every sport.

Readiness Monitoring

One of GRIT's defining philosophies is helping athletes understand how prepared they are to perform before training or competition even begins. Through a combination of objective testing and athlete feedback, readiness monitoring provides athletes, parents, and coaches valuable insight into fatigue, recovery, preparedness, and performance trends over time. Rather than relying solely on how an athlete "feels," coaches and athletes can make more informed decisions supported by measurable data.

"Recovery is only one piece of the ecosystem we’ve built." Fair said. "Our goal is to connect recovery, readiness, performance, and education into one complete experience. The more information we can provide, the more intentional athletes and coaches can become in the decisions they make every day."

Built in New Castle. Expanding to Pittsburgh.

The GreenTree SportsPlex location builds upon the success of GRIT Sports Performance's original GSP Labs location inside of Grossetti Performance in New Castle, Pennsylvania, where the company has spent the last two years refining its athlete-centered model.

Serving hundreds of athletes from Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, the New Castle facility has demonstrated that advanced sports science and recovery services are not reserved exclusively for professional organizations or major collegiate athletic departments. Instead, they can be successfully integrated into local communities where athletes of all ages and competitive levels benefit from greater access to objective information, education, and recovery resources.

Since opening its doors, GRIT has had the opportunity to work with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, as well as schools, teams, coaches, and organizations across multiple sports. Partner organizations have included Westminster College Athletics, Slippery Rock University Women's Basketball, Warren G. Harding (OH) Athletics, North Allegheny Football, Aliquippa Football, and numerous other schools and organizations throughout the region. 

"Launching our first GSP Labs in New Castle will always be special to me," Fair said. "It's just down the road from where I grew up, where I played high school sports, and where my own kids are now growing up and will begin their athletic journeys. Building our proof of concept there gave us the opportunity to serve the community that helped shape me, while proving that athletes in smaller communities deserve access to the same level of sports science, recovery, and performance resources as anyone else. Now, we're excited to bring that same vision to Pittsburgh and continue scaling on what we've started."

Why GreenTree SportsPlex

For GRIT Sports Performance, selecting GreenTree SportsPlex was about far more than finding the right location. It was about finding the right partner.

Over the past several years, GreenTree SportsPlex has evolved into one of Western Pennsylvania's premier destinations for athlete development, bringing together youth sports, team training, coaching, competition, fitness, and athlete services within a single collaborative environment. With thousands of athletes and families passing through its doors each year, the facility has become a hub where athletes train, compete, learn, and develop year-round.

The approximately 83,000-square-foot indoor sports complex features indoor turf fields, volleyball courts, basketball training areas, batting tunnels, fitness facilities, camps, leagues, tournaments, clinics, and community programming that serves athletes of all ages and competitive levels.

Beyond the facility itself, GreenTree SportsPlex has cultivated an ecosystem of organizations dedicated to athlete development. Partners operating within the complex include SKY Development Football, SKY Elite Volleyball, Renaissance Volleyball, Modern Sports Group, and other organizations committed to advancing youth athletics, coaching, competition, and athlete representation.

The addition of GSP Labs by GRIT Sports Performance introduces an entirely new layer to that ecosystem by integrating sports science, recovery, readiness monitoring, vision and neuro-performance training, and athlete performance education directly into an environment where athletes are already training every day. Rather than asking athletes to travel elsewhere for advanced recovery or sports science services, those resources will now become part of their everyday development experience.

"From the beginning, our goal has been to build something that didn't exist in Western Pennsylvania — a place where athletes don't have to choose between training, competing, and developing. GRIT Sports Performance fits that vision perfectly. What they bring to our ecosystem fills a gap we've always wanted to close." said Austin McClinton, General Manager at Greentree Sportsplex. 

Together, GRIT Sports Performance and GreenTree SportsPlex believe athlete development should not exist in isolated silos. Instead, the partnership creates an environment where coaches, trainers, sports medicine professionals, performance specialists, recovery experts, and athlete development organizations can complement one another—providing athletes with a more connected and complete support system than has traditionally existed under one roof.

"Every organization inside GreenTree SportsPlex brings something valuable to the athlete experience," McClinton added. "We want every athlete who walks through our doors to feel like they have a professional-level support system behind them. Adding GRIT to this building does exactly that. The resources they're bringing here used to require a Division I program or a pro contract to access — that changes this August."

Built by Industry Leaders

GRIT Sports Performance is led by Founder & CEO Paul Fair and supported by an accomplished advisory team whose collective experience spans professional sports, NCAA Division I athletics, Olympic development, sports medicine, football operations, strength and conditioning, executive leadership, and sports business. Together, the group brings decades of experience working with Olympians, NFL Draft prospects, professional athletes, NCAA championship programs, and athletes at every stage of development.

Collectively, the group brings decades of experience working with Olympians, NFL Draft prospects, professional athletes, NCAA championship programs, and athletes at every stage of development. Their expertise continues to help shape GRIT's vision of delivering elite-level performance resources to communities that have traditionally had limited access to them.

MEET THE TEAM Paul Fair is the Founder & CEO of GRIT Sports Performance and has spent the past several years building the company around its core philosophy of Growth, Recovery, and Innovative Training. With more than 18 years of experience across the sports industry, Fair has worked in high performance environments ranging from youth and high school competitors to collegiate, Olympic, and professional organizations.

Prior to founding GRIT, Fair gained experience across globally recognized companies including IMG Academy, where he worked alongside world-class athletes, coaches and practitioners supporting the development of athletes across multiple sports and multiple levels, and WWE, where he contributed to athlete recruitment, ID, evaluation, and talent development while helping identify and transition elite athletes from collegiate, Olympic, professional, and international backgrounds. In addition to leading GRIT, Fair has consulted with collegiate athletic departments, professional organizations, Olympic governing bodies, and sports technology companies on athlete development, performance systems, athlete recruitment, readiness monitoring, and sports science initiatives. Eric Galko serves as Director of Football Operations for the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl while also assisting NFL organizations with player evaluation, draft preparation, and scouting operations. Recognized as one of football's most respected talent evaluators, Galko brings extensive experience in athlete evaluation, player personnel, and professional football operations.

Dr. Mark Sakr is a board-certified sports medicine physician who serves as Team Physician for the University of Arizona Athletics and USA Rugby. His expertise in injury prevention, return-to-play protocols, athlete welfare, and performance medicine provides GRIT with advisory insight into the integration of sports medicine and human performance.

Dee Brown, former 12 year NBA standout and 1991 NBA Slam Dunk Champion, currently serves in collegiate athletics and university leadership at his alma mater, Jacksonville University. His experience spans professional basketball front office, athlete development, NIL, brand ambassador, fundraising, executive leadership, and athletic administration, providing GRIT with invaluable perspective on developing athletes both on and off the field/court.

Jeff Dillman is one of the nation's most respected strength and conditioning professionals, bringing more than 25 years of experience developing athletes at powerhouse Division I football programs including Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Appalachian State, and others. His influence extends beyond the athletes he has coached, having mentored generations of strength coaches now leading programs throughout collegiate athletics.

"GRIT isn't being built from theory," Fair said. "It's being built and influenced from decades of collective experience across professional sports, major college athletics, sports medicine, performance, recovery, and athlete development. We're fortunate to have people around us who continue to challenge our thinking and help advise where we're going."

Building More Than Another Performance Facility

While GSP Labs will feature many of the same technologies found inside professional organizations and major collegiate athletic departments, GRIT Sports Performance was never founded with the goal of replacing traditional coaching, strength training, physical therapy, athletic training, or sport-specific instruction.

Instead, the company was built around a different philosophy. The greatest athlete development occurs when every member of an athlete's support system works together. GRIT positions itself as an extension of that performance team—helping connect coaches, strength coaches, athletic trainers, physicians, physical therapists, parents, and athletes through objective data, advanced technologies, recovery strategies, and collaborative decision-making.

Rather than operating independently, GSP Labs is designed to strengthen the work already being done by coaches and practitioners while helping identify opportunities that may otherwise go unnoticed.

"Our goal isn't to replace what great coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, or strength coaches are already doing," Fair said. "It's to become an extension of it. Every athlete already has people invested in their success. We simply become another resource for that team. By providing objective information, sports science, recovery tools, and performance insights, we help everyone make better decisions together. That's where the real value is."

That philosophy is reflected in everything GRIT does and is built upon the company's three guiding pillars: Growth. Recovery. Innovative Training. Those principles continue to shape every athlete experience, every partnership, and now, the next chapter of GRIT Sports Performance inside GreenTree SportsPlex.

NIL, Athlete Ambassadors & Community Impact

Beyond sports science and recovery, GRIT Sports Performance has built an Athlete Ambassador and NIL Program focused on investing in the next generation of athletes through authentic partnerships centered around performance, education, leadership, community involvement, and storytelling.

Since launching, GRIT's NIL Program has partnered with more than a dozen high school student-athletes representing football, basketball, track & field, baseball, softball, wrestling, and other sports throughout Western Pennsylvania. As these athletes continue their careers at the collegiate and hopeful professional levels, they become part of GRIT's growing NIL Alumni network—reflecting the long-term relationships the company strives to build well beyond high school athletics.

Rather than simply promoting a brand, GRIT's athlete ambassadors are encouraged to share their own experiences, educate others about the importance of recovery and sports science, and help inspire younger athletes throughout their communities.

"We've never wanted NIL to be just another logo on social media," Fair said. "For us, it's about partnering in people and allowing athletes to share their experiences through their own eyes and their own voice. When young athletes see someone they compete against on Friday nights, play travel ball with on the weekends, or walk the halls with at school utilizing these resources, something changes. It starts to click that these things aren't just for professional athletes or Power Four programs anymore. They're for them, too. If we can change that mindset and help more athletes realize what's possible, we've accomplished something much bigger than a partnership."

Looking Ahead

The opening of GSP Labs at GreenTree SportsPlex represents another significant milestone in GRIT Sports Performance's long-term vision of making elite athlete development resources more accessible throughout Western Pennsylvania.

While this marks the company's second brick-and-mortar location, it is also another step toward building a connected network of athlete development environments that combine sports science, recovery, innovative training, education, and collaboration to better serve athletes, coaches, organizations, and communities.

As opening day approaches, GRIT will announce founding memberships, team partnerships, community open houses, educational seminars, athlete testing opportunities, and additional programming leading into the official August 2026 launch.

About GRIT Sports Performance

Website: https://www.gritsportsperformance.com/ GRIT Sports Performance is a sports performance, sports science, recovery, and athlete development company headquartered in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Through GSP Labs and its expanding network of athlete performance initiatives, GRIT serves student-athletes, collegiate and professional athletes, teams, athletic departments, coaches, adult wellness clients, and corporate partners by combining Growth, Recovery, and Innovative Training into a collaborative athlete development model. 

About GreenTree SportsPlex

Website https://greentreesportsplex.com/ Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, GreenTree SportsPlex is one of Western Pennsylvania's premier indoor sports and athlete development destinations. The approximately 83,000-square-foot facility features indoor turf fields, courts, batting tunnels, fitness amenities, camps, leagues, tournaments, and year-round programming while serving as home to numerous organizations dedicated to advancing youth sports and athlete development throughout the region.

Media Contact

Paul Fair

Founder & CEO

GRIT Sports Performance

paul@gritsportsperformance.com (412) 219-3497

Instagram/X: @grit_sp

https://www.facebook.com/GRITSportsPerformance/

Austin McClinton

General Manager

Greentree SportsPlex

Amcclinton@greentreesportsplex.com

(412) 922-1818

FB https://www.facebook.com/greentreesportsplex/

IG @gtsportsplex

TikTok @gtsportsplex