D1 Sports Training

What D1 Sports Training does

D1 Training is a privately held, US-based franchisor of athletic training facilities operating as D1 Sports Franchise, LLC, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, with 200+ franchise locations across 30+ states. The company delivers coach-led fitness programs modeled after Division 1 Strength and Conditioning principles, structured around a proprietary 5-Star Training Methodology consisting of a 54-minute workout progression: dynamic warm-up, performance training, strength development, core and conditioning, and cool-down. Programming is tiered by age (Rookie ages 7-11, Devo ages 12-14, Prep ages 15-18 for youth; adult cohorts) and delivered via personal training, small group (2-4 athletes), and group formats.

The product surface extends beyond facility training to include D1 Verified (a 2026-launched coach-certified athletic testing platform for ages 14-18 with public athlete profiles, starting with football), D1 National Challenge (a 6-week community-driven fitness challenge using InBody scans and points-based competition), D1 Combine Training (elite NFL combine preparation led by Senior Director of Coaching Clif Marshall), the D1 Mobile App (booking, membership, family account management), and the 'Train D1fferent' apparel line sold through gear.d1training.com under a NIKE distribution relationship. Content distribution is operated through The Turf and D1 Podcast channels, D1 Daily articles, and active social media presence (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook, LinkedIn).

The business generates revenue through three streams: recurring membership fees paid by individuals at local franchise facilities (subscription model), franchise fees and royalties paid by independent franchisees (licensing model), and direct-to-consumer branded apparel and gear sales (retail model). Celebrity endorsements from Tim Tebow and Chris Paul anchor the brand's athletic credibility. Pricing is quote-based at the franchise level and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held under founder/CEO Will Bartholomew with no institutional investors, public listing, or SEC filings referenced.

Name

D1 Sports Training

Legal name

D1 Sports Franchise, LLC

Website

https://d1training.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

D1 Training is a US-based franchisor of 200+ athletic training facilities, delivering coach-led, Division 1-style strength and conditioning programs to youth (ages 7-18) and adults, with supporting products including D1 Verified testing, the D1 National Challenge, branded apparel, and a mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Athletic Training Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Strength & Conditioning / Athletic Performance Training (HSADAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small-Group Personal Training (Semi-Private) (HSADAAAN), Athlete Testing & Combine Prep (metrics, scouting prep) (HSADAEAK), Sports-Specific Group Conditioning (HSADABAK)

Keywords

• Athletic training services
• Youth strength conditioning
• Adult fitness training
• Franchise fitness brand
• Sports performance coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Fitness Training Memberships: Members pay recurring membership fees for access to group training, personal training, and small group training sessions at D1 franchise facilities. The company offers programs for youth (ages 7-18) and adults with various training formats.
2. Apparel and Gear Sales: D1 Training operates an e-commerce gear store (gear.d1training.com) selling branded apparel including hoodies, t-shirts, hats, water bottles, and accessories. The store features collections like 'Train D1fferent' and NIKE Dri-Fit products.
3. Franchise Fees: D1 Training generates revenue through franchise ownership, with entrepreneurs paying to open and operate D1 Training facilities under the company's brand and methodology.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

D1 Training delivers coach-led, group-based athletic training services for youth (ages 7-18) and adults modeled after Division 1 Strength and Conditioning principles, through a network of 200+ franchise facilities across the United States. The company also franchises its brand and methodology to independent operators, runs an apparel and gear e-commerce store, and offers supporting programs including the D1 National Challenge, D1 Verified athletic testing platform, D1 Combine Training, and a mobile app for membership management.

Product overview

D1 Training is a franchise-based athletic training company offering coach-led fitness programs modeled after Division 1 Strength and Conditioning principles. The core offerings include Adult Training and Scholastic Training programs (with three tiers: Rookie ages 7-11, Devo ages 12-14, and Prep ages 15-18), available through Personal Training, Small Group Training, and Group Training formats. Supporting products include the D1 National Challenge (6-week structured challenge), D1 Verified (athletic testing/certification platform), D1 Combine Training (NFL preparation), official Apparel & Gear Store, D1 Mobile App for membership management, and multimedia content including The Turf Podcast and D1 Daily articles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Turf: Powered By D1: A podcast hosted by D1 founder/CEO Will Bartholomew featuring conversations with athletes, coaches, celebrities, and influencers about elite performance.
• The D1 Podcast
• D1 Verified
• D1 National Challenge
• 5-Star Training

Products and services

• Adult Training High-intensity team-based workouts combining strength, conditioning, and accountability for adults of all fitness levels. Features 54-minute coach-led sessions following the 5-Star Training progression (dynamic warm-up, performance, strength, core/conditioning, cool-down).
• Scholastic Training Age-appropriate athletic development program for youth ages 7-18 organized into three tiers: Rookie (7-11), Devo (12-14), and Prep (15-18), focusing on speed, strength, agility, confidence, and character development under certified coaches.
• Rookie Training Foundation-building program for ages 7-11 introducing young athletes to fundamentals of movement, proper mechanics, coordination, and body control through high-energy, supportive training.
• Devo Training Performance-driven training for ages 12-14 introducing structured resistance training with dumbbells, barbells, bands, and bodyweight to safely build strength, coordination, and control.
• Prep Training Advanced athletic training for ages 15-18 mirroring a Division 1 training environment, developing speed, power, strength, endurance, and mental toughness with increased emphasis on injury prevention.
• Personal Training One-on-one customized training sessions with certified D1 coaches tailored to individual goals, needs, and schedules.
• Small Group Training Training in tight-knit groups of 2-4 athletes offering personalized attention with shared motivation and community.
• Group Training High-energy, team-driven signature D1 classes designed for all levels, backed by sports science and powered by group motivation.
• D1 National Challenge 6-week community-driven fitness challenge with structured programming by National Training Panel, weekly micro-challenges, InBody scan tracking, and points-based rewards system.
• D1 Verified Coach-certified athletic testing system for athletes ages 14-18 that measures, tracks, and showcases training performance with certified coach-led testing, public athlete profiles, and benchmark comparisons; starting with football with more sports coming.
• D1 Combine Training Elite NFL combine preparation program led by senior director of coaching Clif Marshall, preparing aspiring professional players for combine and pro day workouts.
• D1 Mobile App Official mobile application enabling members to book workouts, manage memberships, access family account management, and view daily news, athlete stories, and new gear drops.
• Apparel & Gear Store Official D1 Training merchandise store offering branded apparel including hoodies, tees, hats, quarter zips, accessories, and NIKE Dri-Fit products.
• D1 Franchise Program Franchise offering that enables entrepreneurs to own and operate D1 Training facilities under the company's brand, 5-Star Training methodology, and operational support; 200+ franchise locations operate across the United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members can burn up to 1,000 calories per full-body workout
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• Tim TebownotableGTM or Marketing PartnerTim Tebow serves as a brand ambassador and advocate for D1 Training, appearing in promotional videos discussing D1's 5-Star Training Program. His endorsement provides celebrity credibility and athletic prestige for the brand among youth athletes and their parents.
• Chris PaulnotableGTM or Marketing PartnerNBA star Chris Paul appears in D1 Training content discussing coaching philosophy and athletic development. His involvement provides professional athlete endorsement and elevates brand visibility in the sports performance space.
• Jon GrudennotableGTM or Marketing PartnerFormer NFL coach Jon Gruden appeared on 'The Turf: Powered By D1' podcast discussing coaching, culture, and building tough athletes. His appearance on the podcast generates content and credibility for the brand's athletic development positioning.
• David Franco / Bridge To PerformanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental performance coach David Franco, formerly of the Texas Rangers' mental performance department, collaborated with D1 Training on a Summer Athlete Program webinar series. Franco shared strategies for bridging potential and performance with D1 athletes.
• Special Olympics TennesseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerD1 Combine Training partnered with Special Olympics Tennessee to support athlete development, demonstrating community engagement and commitment to inclusive athletic training programs.
• NIKEnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorD1 Training sells NIKE Dri-Fit Franchise Polo shirts through its gear store, indicating a product distribution relationship with NIKE for branded athletic apparel.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• F45 Training: F45 is a global franchise-based group fitness brand offering 45-minute high-intensity functional training classes. Like D1, it relies on standardized coach-led workouts, tiered membership pricing, and aggressive franchise expansion — the two brands compete most directly for franchisees and adult fitness members in suburban US markets.
• Orangetheory Fitness: Orangetheory is the largest franchise-based group fitness brand in the US with a coach-led, metric-driven (heart-rate) workout format sold via memberships. It targets the same adult fitness-enthusiast segment as D1's adult training and competes head-to-head for franchisees, coaches, and members across suburban markets.
• Burn Boot Camp: Burn Boot Camp is a US franchise of 45-minute group strength and conditioning camps led by coaches. Its franchise-driven, community-focused model and strength/conditioning programming place it in direct competition with D1 for the same adult and youth athletic-training customer.
• TITLE Boxing Club: TITLE Boxing Club is a franchise-based fitness concept offering coach-led boxing-inspired group workouts on a membership basis. While its training format differs, it competes with D1 in the franchise fitness-for-adults category, targeting the same value-driven suburban member.
• 9Round Fitness: 9Round is a franchise kickboxing-themed fitness brand with 30-minute circuit workouts and a similar franchise-driven, member-based model. It competes with D1 in the same suburban franchise-fitness segment with comparable pricing and coach-led positioning.
• Parisi Speed School: Parisi Speed School is a franchise-based youth athletic development program offering speed, strength, and agility training for school-age athletes. It directly competes with D1's Scholastic (Rookie/Devo/Prep) tracks for the same youth athletes and parent customers, and similarly uses a franchise model.

Broad incumbents

• Gold's Gym: Gold's Gym is a long-established, broadly franchised commercial gym chain offering strength and conditioning alongside general fitness. It competes with D1 for general adult fitness members and franchise investors, but lacks D1's youth athlete-development positioning and Division 1 methodology branding.
• UFC Gym: UFC Gym is a globally franchised fitness brand combining traditional gym access with MMA, strength, and conditioning programming. It overlaps with D1's strength-and-conditioning positioning and uses a similar franchise distribution model but offers a broader, multi-modal facility experience.
• EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance): EXOS is an established human-performance company offering strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and corporate wellness services. While corporate-owned rather than franchise-based, it competes with D1 at the elite athlete-development end of the market where D1's NFL Combine Training operates.

Emerging players

• StretchLab: StretchLab is a rapidly growing franchise stretching and recovery concept positioned adjacent to strength-and-conditioning. While not a direct competitor, it shares D1's franchise-driven, suburban-rollout model and increasingly targets overlapping health-and-wellness consumer wallet share.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/D1Sports
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@d1training
• Facebookfacebook.com/D1Sports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/d1-sports-training
• Instagraminstagram.com/d1training_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@d1training

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about D1 Sports Training