Game, set and match at the Saint-Jean sports complex in Montluçon (Allier) ?? On the evening of Monday, October 24, a meeting was held between elected and user sports clubs (tennis, athletics, horse racing, etc.) on the future of the site. Let’s take stock.
The progress
Renovation of the athletics track, dismantling of the old swimming pool, construction of an indoor tennis center shared between different clubs… Many topics discussed for several years. But the city and especially Montluçon Communauté, since Saint-Jean is managed by the agglo, have “the desire to accelerate” on this dossier, according to Frédéric Laporte, mayor and president of the aforementioned community.
The finding
“For many months we have considered all possible plans, worked on all hypotheses: it is difficult to maintain these three activities at the same time, namely horse racing, athletics and tennis, if we want quality equipment for each one,” explains Frédéric Laporte. “If we restore an athletics track with a grandstand and a larger tennis pole, as well as horse racing, the three will not last in Saint-Jean,” adds Thierry Penthier, vice president responsible for sport of the agglomeration council.
“The site is not expandable in Saint-Jean, because part of it is in an alluvial area, so it cannot be built. “
Thierry Penthier (vice president in charge of sport at the Montluçon Community)
Families played tennis on the street with clubs in the Montluçon basin (Allier) [12/06/2022]
The hypotheses cited
What to do then ?? “We have to move one of the three sports”, affected Thierry Penthier. Not the racecourse (nor the adjacent football and rugby fields), inconceivable for logistics and costs. A relocation to the Pierre-Dupont stadium has been studied for athletics. “He can pass but the football fields should be removed and it would be complicated for the clubs that use them.” It would be like shifting the problem. The idea is in fact almost abandoned. And it is on the part of tennis that should finally be played.
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The preferred solution: a transition from tennis
The current Saint-Jean open-air park should remain there and even be redone. But the new indoor tennis complex would be built elsewhere and common to several clubs. With four to six new pitches depending on the project. The clubs still interested today are mainly ISM, RCTM, EDSM and AST Désertines.
In this case, where to build if not in Saint-Jean? There are three plans. The first would lead to Dunlop, at the end of rue Michel-Faye, with enough space to add outdoor courts as well as indoor courts. But this would cause graduates to migrate to the north of the city, while the majority, particularly those of the Ilets (ISM), reside rather to the south.
Second scenario, the old college of Bien-Assis, only here the space available would be limited … We arrive at the third track, the main one at the moment: still in Bien-Assis, but higher than the site, at the end of the football field, on the rue de l’Abbaye side. There it would be possible to host four to five indoor tennis courts and possibly paddle tennis courts, as well as reception facilities.
The following
And now?? “We await the return of the tennis clubs to find a consensus and block the definitive implementation of each element”, resumed Thierry Penthier. “And in any case, the final decision will be up to us”, warns Frédéric Laporte. The mayor also assures that he will be vigilant on respect for “naturalness” in Saint-Jean, on the reorganization of traffic and parking lots. In short :
“We hope for a decision to be made in the coming weeks, or early next year, to start studying in 2023 and then work from 2024”.
Federico Laporte (mayor of Montluçon and president of the Community of Montluçon)
The current Roger-Tariant tennis center should be demolished.
What do interested clubs think?
Tennis. “We don’t really understand the decision to move, or why we can’t all stay in Saint-Jean and why it would be up to us to leave,” wonders Laurence Dumery, president of ISM Tennis. “But if it is the only option, let’s say that the least evil would be Bien-Assis”, he agrees. “Dunlop would be no, we would withdraw from the project. Bien-Assis can be a fallback solution, yes, we will not close the door ”. What about the other tennis clubs? “Bien-Assis would have the advantage of being a neutral venue, which would not favor any club more than another”, explains Christian Amouroux, contact person for the Montluçon basin in the Allier committee. “But we must first wait for all the information, then meet each other before positioning ourselves.”
Athletics. For athletics, however, the position is already clear. “We are open to anything as long as it leads to a new track,” says Denis Geffroy, president of Montluçon Athlé. “If we stay in Saint-Jean, all the better, it is central and the natural environment acts as a training ground for trail runners or half-crossers”. As for cyclists, they could possibly get a track redone, with six lanes and a small grandstand, labeled for organizing races. Which hadn’t happened in Saint-Jean for six or seven years.
hippism. Finally, the president of the Horse Racing Society of Montluçon, Jean-Jacques Saunon, considers himself “open to changes”, but will remain “careful so that everything fits well, without disturbing the horse racing seasons”.
Transfer to Montluçon Athletics (Allier), which has just elected a new president [15/10/2022]
Text: Luc Barre
Photo: Florian Salesse and Cécile Champagnat
