Rutgers, the Devils — and now the Red Bulls.
RWJBarnabas Health has long established itself as both a leading health care provider and sponsor for some of the biggest sports teams and organizations in New Jersey.
CEO Mark Manigan, speaking Wednesday at the ribbon-cutting for the RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center in Morris Township, said the relationship is about far more than sports. Manigan said the health system is drawn to a shared vision for the state — one he said aligns perfectly with the Red Bulls.
“There’s got to be a cultural connection between the two organizations, a culture that speaks to Innovation and excellence, but also a culture that speaks to commitment to the community, and all our partners exemplify those traits,” he said.
“We unite around a common mission: youth athletics, healthy living, healthy lifestyles. That’s just core to our mission. So, all that together makes these relationships a very natural thing for us.”
The 80-acre facility, designed by Gensler, features an 88,400-square-foot main building with a number of wellness-focused elements, including a 4,635-square-foot gym and a full-service kitchen that provides high nutritional-value foods.
It also includes a comprehensive medical suite and innovation lab with physiotherapy spaces designed to promote best-in-class preventive health, rehabilitation and recovery.
The first-team locker rooms include hydrotherapy areas featuring hot and cold plunge pools, a temperate treatment and physical therapy pool, and a sauna.
Additional resources include integrated aquatic therapy spaces, innovative fatigue-detection processes, advanced diagnostic modalities and an orthobiologic system designed to support advanced treatment and clinical care — along with a full complement of RWJBarnabas Health doctors and health care providers.
Dr. Gerardo Chiricolo will continue in his role as the club’s chief medical officer, working closely with the club’s training staff and athlete care team.
“The RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center represents a major step forward in how we care for professional athletes and the next generation,” he said. “This facility isn’t just about treating injuries; it’s about preventive care, optimizing recovery and supporting each athlete’s long-term well-being. Equipped with a broad range of innovative resources including a wellness lab, state-of-the-art training equipment, advanced rehabilitation tools, real-time training load monitoring and performance insights, we can deliver customized care at a level that simply wasn’t possible before.
More on the RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center
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“This ensures that every decision we make is precise, proactive and centered on the individual athlete.”
General manager Marc de Grandpré said the medical services RWJBarnabas Health supplies are a critical part of the culture the club is building.
“It used to be to be that when players were rehabbing, they felt separated from the club,” he said. “Now, they’re going to be with the team in this facility.”
Manigan said the facility follows the model RWJBarnabas Health provides to both Rutgers athletics and the New Jersey Devils.
Calling the role as provider and primary sponsor a no-brainer, Manigan said the long-term impact of the partnership could be significant.
“This is where New Jersey’s leading health system and New Jersey’s professional soccer team will set the benchmark for elite training and player health,” he said. “And this is also where tomorrow starts. The 45,000 youth athletes across this state involved in the Red Bull New York Academy and youth training program will get their healthy starts as well.
“Here, success isn’t just what occurs on the pitch, it’s all the things that happen before the players walk out on the pitch and when they walk off.”
It’s a relationship RWJBH is thrilled to nurture, he said.
“To see our name throughout this facility, to have our name on the Red Bulls training kit, to see our name throughout Sports Illustrated Stadium, and to have our doctors and clinicians working with some of the best athletes in the world is an incredible honor,” he said.
