The five projects that will transform the Vichy (Allier) sports center

1. A double hall with variable geometry

Geographical link between the Creps and the omnisports center, the equipment will be in a way the symbol of this 500-hectare sports area which coordinates its assets to become a welcoming land for high-level sport.
Funded by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region to the tune of 8 million euros, the double hall will be shared between Vichy Communauté and the new generation Creps (read our edition of Tuesday, May 25). A collaboration that has already borne fruit in the context of the joint candidacy presented to obtain the Paris 2024 “Games preparation center” (CPJ) label.

Archers will be able to shoot at targets
placed at 70 meters

The choice of this huge gymnasium with an area of ​​3,800 m2 is the result of an observation. Apart from the Pierre-Coulon sports center, monopolized by the practice of basketball in general, and by the professional club of Vichy-Clermont in particular, the territory does not have a covered structure able to accommodate internships or high level events.
With its high-end services, the double hall will fill this gap. Located near the tennis rotunda (see above), it will house a first handball or volleyball court – measuring 44 mx 24 m – bordered by a 200-seat grandstand.
A removable partition will separate it from a second field positioned in the width, thus giving the whole a T-shape. The equipment, air-conditioned and with a ceiling height of 12.50 m, will be able to contain 800 m2 of tatami mats. . Once the separation between the two fields is open, archery competitions will be able to take place there perfectly, with targets placed up to 70 meters from the archers.
Changing rooms and technical rooms will also be fitted out. The whole will of course be accessible to people with reduced mobility.

2. A covered athletics structure with six lanes and jumpers

Pole vaulting or sprinting in the shelter: Vichy athletes have had this opportunity in the past.
But the Hall of Creps, where the pole vaulters of Alexandre Riberon trained, was devastated by a fire in November 2014. The track covered with athletics was more recently demolished, last September. But it had been several years since the tartan band had welcomed many people.

What will the new generation Creps de Vichy (Allier) look like?

As part of the renovation of the omnisports center, Vichy Communauté has decided to build a new covered structure to be held right next to the athletics stadium, on the site currently occupied by the three old tennis courts which have been stripped.

Two long jumpers for pole vaulters

Six lanes will be covered over a length of 68 meters (a straight line of 55 meters to which is added a part for deceleration). The structure will also include several jumpers: two for the practice of the pole vault, one for the length and the triple jump, as well as an area for the height. A space for performing general physical preparation exercises, two changing rooms and an office will complete this building which will be out of water and out of air but not heated. “It will not be a cube, warns the elected representative of the Agglo, Jean-Sébastien Laloy. We wanted something that blends in well with its surroundings. “
The work, which is scheduled to start at the end of the year, is expected to last 12 months. The cost of the investment amounts to 1.6 million euros excluding tax.

3. Top-of-the-range changing rooms for field n ° 1

Here is a projection of the professional locker rooms of the Rotonde des tennis.
When they came to carry out their pre-season internship in Vichy, during the summer of 2018, the Girondins de Bordeaux footballers and the Olympique Lyonnais players were able to praise the excellent quality of the No. 1 field of the sports center. The changing rooms in the tennis rotunda, on the other hand, fell far short of Ligue 1 standards.

Cold baths and video briefing room

In order to meet the expectations of these athletes, the circular equipment will be the subject of major work. Instead of eight changing rooms at present, the building will house in the future two changing rooms of 64 m2, a space for physical preparation with weight benches, cold baths, a video briefing room … The works, at a cost of 1.2 M €, should start in September and last between 16 and 18 months.

4. Changing rooms already built for the fields
n ° 2, 3 and 4

This is the visible part of this vast renovation project for the sports center. The locker room block on grounds 2, 3 and 4 of the sports center is nearing completion (cost: € 1.7 million excluding tax). A central corridor provides access to 12 changing rooms (6 on each side). On its own, this building allows the approval of the three fields located nearby, one for rugby (number 2) and the other two intended for the practice of football. The n ° 3 was recalibrated two years ago to meet the dimensions of the high level (105 mx 68 m). In the same spirit, the operation of reprofiling land n ° 4 has just started, which will be closed by a fence. The delivery of this work is scheduled for spring 2022.

Sport represents 100,000 overnight stays per year

5. And also …

Two 3X3 basketball courts, an Olympic discipline, will be built to the south of court n ° 3, in an area that has not yet been precisely defined.
beach soccer…
The sports area will also have an area covered with sand for the practice of beach soccer, beach volleyball or beach rugby.
A footbridge will be set up, in particular to allow easy access to the sports area for people with reduced mobility.