Of the athletes spoken to for our series profiling the Bay's top sports people, many train overseas or in other centres, including at Auckland's Millennium Institute of Sport.
Many complained about the cost of shifting, battling big-city traffic, and the fact they preferred home to their current training environment.
Dr Gill, in his eighth year working with the All Blacks, says keeping top athletes here makes sense not only in terms of nurturing exciting talent for the region, but because the Bay is the perfect training ground for serious athletes who need to train two or three times a day.
"It's the best place to live. It's far easier to drive across Tauranga to a gym or a running track from a traffic perspective."
As well as a gym, the Aspire facility will feature an indoor running track, 25m heated pool, hot and cold plunge pools for recovery, and a health-focused cafe.
Physios, massage therapists, nutritionists and a podiatrist will be on-site to help athletes with a cohesive approach to training, performance-enhancement, diet and recovery.
"It's very much a one-stop shop," says Dr Gill. "There's nothing like it in New Zealand, not where everything's in one place."
Dr Gill, who has a PhD in exercise physiology and is a senior research fellow at Auckland University of Technology, has based the facility on high-performance centres he has worked in during his international career.
The centre's lead coach will be Dan Ward-Smith, who has a 12-year career as a professional rugby player in England, while the health club director is Marc Patel, who owns Papamoa gym Oceanblue, where several top athletes already train.
Dr Gill says Aspire has already approached several local high schools, including Bethlehem, Otumoetai and Aquinas colleges, and hopes to provide scholarships to students in the future.
"At the end of the day, what we want is a healthier Tauranga."
