The initiative aims to transform how sports surfaces are built in the country by moving away from traditional truck tyre-based infills—which are often criticised for being carcinogenic and odorous

Gallant Sports & Infra, a sports infrastructure company, has partnered with Nike Inc.’s global sustainability programme Nike Grind, becoming the initiative’s first Indian licensee. With this development, the company has started GallantBounce, India’s first sustainable turf infill made with at least 20 per cent Nike Grind rubber.

The initiative aims to transform how sports surfaces are built in the country by moving away from traditional truck tyre-based infills – which are often criticised for being carcinogenic and odorous – to a cleaner, performance-driven and environmentally sustainable alternative.

From Scrap To Scores
Nike Grind, first introduced in the 1990s, recycles footwear manufacturing scrap and end-of-life athletic shoes into high-performance materials used globally for sports surfaces. By bringing the programme to India, Gallant Sports plans to integrate Nike Grind rubber into school playgrounds, community sports arenas, multi-sport courts, and football fields.

“In India, sports surfaces have long depended on recycled truck tyres, which many countries are phasing out due to health and environmental concerns. With Nike Grind, we now have a sustainable, non-smelly, and high-quality option,” said Nasir Ali, Founder and CEO of Gallant Sports & Infra, in an interaction with BW Businessworld.

He added that in the next three to four years, the company targets installing at least 100 smaller neighbourhood football fields with GallantBounce, amounting to nearly 2,000 tonne of Nike Grind infill.

He stated, ” We will initially import Nike Grind granules from factories in Indonesia and Malaysia, as India currently lacks facilities to process and repurpose used shoes. We plans to focus on smaller neighbourhood football fields, each requiring 5–10 tonne of infill, instead of large stadiums that consume up to 50 tonne. Over the next three to four years, Gallant aims to install around 100 such fields across the country, translating into an estimated 2,000 tonne of Nike Grind imports – a move that will familiarise the Indian market with sustainable turf solutions before scaling up domestic recycling.”

Beyond infrastructure, Gallant Sports also operates Gallant Play, which runs arenas in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad to encourage community sports participation. “We want families to spend time on the field rather than just malls and food courts. Building sporty communities is critical for India to nurture future champions,” Ali said.

Eye On Growth And IPO
The company executed around Rs 70 crore in revenues in FY24-25 and expects to nearly double this to Rs 120–140 crore in FY25-26. Gallant Sports has completed over 700 projects across India, including large-scale government contracts, and is preparing for an eventual IPO to fuel its ambition of becoming a Rs 1,000 crore company in five years.

Ali said the Nike Grind partnership is not only about sustainability but also about positioning India ahead in global best practices. “We want India to embrace sustainable products now, not years later. This collaboration marks a step towards making the country a more sporty and environmentally responsible nation.”