D1 Training Hosts Elite Summit With Manning Passing Academy
At its national Coach Summit with the Manning Passing Academy, D1 Training emphasized leadership development and franchisee support to strengthen its growing fitness network
D1 Training, the Nashville-based fitness and athletic enrichment franchise founded by former NFL player Will Bartholomew, is investing in its coaches as it accelerates national growth.
The all-ages athletic training concept brought together more than 150 coaches, franchise owners and general managers for its annual Coach Summit in New Orleans, aligning the event with the Peyton and Eli Manning-hosted Manning Passing Academy (MPA), where D1 led warmups for over 1,400 high school football players and more than 40 college quarterbacks including, Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers and Cade Klubnik.
“For us, performance starts with people,” D1 Training CEO Will Bartholomew said. “We know that if we help our franchisees invest in their coaches, we help drive stronger performance and our athletes thrive. That’s what the D1 Coach Summit is all about.”
The franchise recently opened its 150th location in North Carolina, following a record-setting May that saw 26 openings and 32 new territories awarded year-to-date, as demand for its athlete-style training model continues to rise.
The event also featured keynotes from industry leaders, including Kurt Hester, director of strength and performance at the University of Houston, and Olympic triple jumper Donald Scott, who also coaches at D1 Gainesville. Hester, a former D1 national training director now battling Stage 4 cancer, led a session on perseverance.
Clif Marshall, a performance coach and former Indiana University strength director, also headlined the event.
“The D1 Coach Summit had a great impact on me because I got to meet a legend in our profession – Kurt Hester,” Marshall said. “I love how he coaches with an eternal mindset.”
The summit also featured an awards ceremony at the New Orleans Saints practice facility, honoring standout coaches and top-performing locations across the system.
“Supporting franchisee success doesn’t stop at business systems or marketing; true support means helping invest in their teams,” D1 Training chief operating officer Dan Murphy said. “That’s what this event is about – building a stronger future by developing stronger people.”
Beyond the summit, D1 Training has invested in tech-enabled tools to support its franchise network, including dynamic promotional calendars and turnkey marketing campaigns. The brand has integrated with platforms like ClassPass and Wellhub, and is piloting dayparting strategies through partnerships such as 2 Hour Learning to help maximize facility utilization throughout the day.