• On this day of greater deconfinement in France, OL has just inaugurated its new leisure center in Décines on Wednesday.

  • With OL Vallée, 17 brands are grouped together over 23,000 m2, at the foot of the Lyon club stadium.

  • Five and a half years after the opening of the Parc OL, this “largest leisure center in France” does not intend to depend on football matches to attract thousands of visitors.

“The culmination of an immense and fantastic project, but also the symbol of what life will be like tomorrow. This is how Jean-Michel Aulas presented his new Decinese baby, OL Vallée, open to the public on Wednesday, a key milestone in deconfinement in France. Namely "the largest leisure center in France", with more than 23,000 m2 devoted to 17 brands. In addition to the Théâtre à l'Ouest (384 seats), a space entirely dedicated to humor, expected for next December, OL Vallée already offers seven very varied activities, as well as ten dining areas at the foot of the Parc OL.

"We were not necessarily very many to believe in this project at the start", remembers Stéphane Reymond, regional director of Vinci Immobilier, who carried out this large-scale development (between 60 and 65 million euros invested), initiated from January 2016. At the time, OL had just moved from Gerland to Décines.

And if the Lyon supporters regretted the almost non-existent offer of bars and restaurants around the stadium, this prospect of a leisure center dear to JMA has never been seen as obvious.

"We will benefit from the popularity of the club"

How could this little-known town in eastern Lyon, which was difficult to access at the time, attract crowds outside of match days? The now daily line of the T7 tramway, from Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, was a major development in this direction, even if the mayor (LR) of Décines-Charpieu, Laurence Fautra, recalled his wish to see the metro A extend to its commune.

"As soon as we were contacted in May 2020, we were convinced of the success of this pole and of the synergy of all these activities that can satisfy families," assures in any case Pierre Chicorp, co-manager of Vortex Experience VR ( hyper virtual reality in free movement in a universe of zombies).

OL are supporting us in their communication and we will benefit from the popularity of the club and its stadium.

In this period of deconfinement, enthusiasm is shared in Ninkasi.

Since its beginnings in 1997 near the Gerland stadium, this emblematic Lyon brasserie has turned into a restaurant chain, and it has not hesitated to accept the OL Vallée bet, in the summer of 2017.

Ninkasi wants to "launch a small Gerland" at OL Vallée

“We had the idea of ​​launching a small Gerland here, and that's it, OL are back to their Ninkasi,” smiles Olivier Milesi, manager of this bar-restaurant in Décines. We are aware that there will only be about 30 dates in the year that will bring us back from the world thanks to events at the stadium. They should be seen as a bonus, and there are 330 dates left to fill thanks to the wide variety of leisure activities. The OL brand will serve as our locomotive. »The Ninkasi, which will be open from 11 am to 1 am starting next month (11 pm in June due to the curfew in France), like most of the OL Vallée brands, is aiming for a medium-term program with concerts. , DJ and blind tests until 3 a.m.

A prospect of late closing which also interests the immense bowling alley of the Lights, with its 32 lanes, its minigolf, and its possible

dancefloor

.

Visitors OL Valley will also be able to bind the parties paddle to

five

(five foot), enjoy the sports complex L'Appart Fitness, discover Prison Island, halfway between

escape game

and Fort Boyard, and s' explode in the Exalto trampoline park.

"We don't really know where we're going"

One of the main curiosities of the Decinois complex is the presence of the largest indoor surfing wave in Europe. Proof of the enthusiasm generated, City Surf Park is already full until the end of the week for its 80 daily slots. Manager of the nearby Salad'Rit restaurant, former LOU Rugby professional player Xavier Fiard is less certain: “We don't really know where we're going. We will serve every lunchtime but we will adjust the evening openings according to the attendance. I am counting on the attractiveness of the stadium, the construction of offices all around, and the desire of people to find leisure time after this Covid-19 year ”.

OL expects four million visitors a year in this new tool, while Jean-Michel Aulas is now focused on the construction of an Arena intended in particular to welcome Asvel in the Euroleague.

“With OL Vallée, we tried to make possible what was not possible before, summarizes the President of Lyon, while announcing the recruitment of a thousand people via a

job dating

next week.

And we tried to develop the social bond that has been so lacking for a year.

"

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