At the beginning of the 2020s, the concept aimed to revolutionize urban sports practice. “For a subscription for less than 70 euros, you can do five or six sports in the same place, without having to sign up for as many different clubs,” stresses Guillaume Léger, general manager of the UCPA associative group. He came to Bordeaux this week to celebrate the third year of the largest sports station in France (ahead of Paris, Nantes, Meudon, and Reims). An edifice of 15,000 square meters including seven padel courts, eight squash courts, three escape games, a 900-square-meter climbing wall, a 600-square-meter cardio-muscle training area, a restaurant, and a rooftop with a breathtaking view of the city, bar, mini-golf, and golf practice area.
In three years of operation, the UCPA Sports Station estimates that it has gradually become a reference facility for various practices. More than a million athletes have frequented the venue since its opening, with 3,000 active monthly subscribers. They are mostly young (77% are between 20 and 40 years old) and engage in regular practice. Fitness alone represents 46% of the attendance, concentrated in the time slot of 5-9 pm, reflecting the active nature of the public.
As a non-profit organization, the UCPA does not aim for high profitability but rather balance in operating expenses. According to the director, Céline Cluzel, the Bordeaux station is still in the process of “building up power.” The objective is to reach 350,000 visitors per year and 4,000 subscribers.
On the other side of the city, the UCPA is now preparing for the arrival of its second sports station in the Belcier district, presented as “the little sister of Brazza.” It will be smaller in size (7,000 square meters) and dedicated to water sports, centered around a pool currently under construction. The opening is scheduled for spring 2027.
The concept is slightly different, designed in consultation with the Metropolitan area, which saw the project as a way to equip a neighborhood without direct public investment. In addition to the swimming pool, the site will offer other activities, the list of which has not been finalized yet. It should be announced this fall. However, a subscription will allow connections between the two sites of Brazza and Belcier, with the Garonne River as the link.
