From Garage to Global Recognition
A business that began in a Borders garage has outperformed some of the world’s most prominent sporting brands to earn a prestigious international award.
Richie Gray, a former Gala rugby player, founded GSI Performance after identifying a need in the coaching market for specialized contact training equipment.
Nearly 15 years after designing and constructing prototypes of the Collision King at his home, Gray, who has coached skills for Scotland, Fiji, and South Africa, has expanded his product line to include 60 different training aids.
Recognition at the 2026 Smarter Sports Awards
At the 2026 Smarter Sports Awards, the 56-year-old Gray was honored alongside notable names such as Apple Fitness, the Bundesliga, and Wimbledon by winning a category award.
"I've always kept my designs to just contact and collision equipment, which is really niche, and has made it our selling point which in turn has brought success."
Career Transition and Business Growth
Following a moderately successful rugby career, during which he captained his hometown team Gala and earned age-group caps, Gray transitioned into coaching, lecturing, and media roles before launching GSI Performance in 2011.
With the support of his wife, Lisa, he quickly secured a niche in the training aids market.
Adapting to Changing Training Regulations
As rugby regulations tightened regarding the amount of collision time permitted during training, GSI Performance introduced a series of impact products designed to enable precise coaching while complying with these restrictions.
Similar limitations on contact time in American football training led to Gray receiving invitations to the United States, where nearly every NFL franchise has now adopted his training methods.
"I knew some time ago there was going to be challenges surrounding contact and collision - I was reading most days about impact injuries and concussion.
Coaching at the top level and having studied the methodology of collisions in sport, put me in place to stay ahead of the curve.
There are now laws both in rugby and in NFL on how much contact time a player should have outside of matches - and if you can't do contact every day, but want to remain technically accurate that's where the equipment comes in."
Influence on NFL Success
Gray has also been credited with assisting the Philadelphia Eagles in developing one of the most effective tactics that contributed to their Super Bowl victory.
He spent time with the team refining their technique on the controversial "brotherly shove."
Continued Success and Commitment to Home
Winning the Coaching Systems category at the Smarter Sports Awards 2026 marks the latest achievement in the remarkable journey of Gray and his wife’s business.
Despite opportunities to relocate, they have chosen to remain in their local area.
"It's not just the NFL teams that are using our tackling equipment, the college system is now picking it up and we're getting orders from them as well.
I've been told many times that we are going to have to move away from Galashiels and the Borders as it's too small, and relocate to one of the big American cities, but I've never had a problem with working from where I call home.
We've managed to take on the world so far from Galashiels - if you get your business model and plan right, you can work from anywhere."
