The inauguration of the Zidane sports complex , the Z5 took place yesterday and we were there! Here is a presentation of the Z5 project in Aix-en-Provence in the Mille district s:point-by-point description, address, times and above all a summary of the inauguration with a Zinédine Zidane always available for his guests.
The Startin' team were kindly invited to this inauguration, so we were there among hundreds of people looking for the star, looking everywhere, trying to find ourselves in these huge imposing gray buildings . But we couldn't get too carried away by the emotion, we have to find the place of conference . It takes place on one of the seven futsal stadiums , it is covered and has been fitted out especially for the occasion. It smells new, the lawns are beautiful and the guests are captivated by what is being said on the altar. There he is, the football champion is there, in front of us. 1m85 of humility , of kindness and motivation . He is seated with his brothers, Noureddine and Farid as well as his friend Robert Sichi. The speeches follow one another with the architect Christophe Gulizzi which invites guests to observe the effects between light and shadow . The deputy mayor of Aix-en-Provence Maryse Joissains who is very "proud and proud to welcome the Z5". Without forgetting, a Zidane who wishes above all to develop the Z complexes across France to allow children from the neighborhoods to play football on real grounds .
The Z5 is for him a personal success, a family project and a unique human adventure. We retain the emotion of Zizou who is "proud to be the little brother", he could not finish his speech unable to hold back his tears despite the forecourt of guests including Akhenaton, Joel Cantona, Myriam Lamare or the consul of Algeria. To do nothing like the others, Zidane did not want to snip a ribbon but keep football alive until the end . To inaugurate its sports center , he chose to take a penalty in a cage closed by a giant logo that he managed to knock out twice, it's sure that playing football in a suit and dress shoes is not easy!
Zidane's sports complex in Les Milles is huge. It is very close to a road, placed there on a huge vacant lot . A large gray building 10 meters high is at the center of everything, it dominates, it imposes its style like Zidane does on a football pitch . As you approach the complex, you can see a Z5 logo carved into the wall several meters high. On the right and left of this building, three indoor futsal stadiums. Everything goes together, the parallelism of the lines can be seen at first glance.
Then, the doors of the Z5 open and we discover a completely homogeneous whole , sober , design , decorated with all the cups he was able to win, an exhibition of his famous Predator shoes and all the balls used during major matches. In the basement there is also an official shop Adidas, then we go out to the restaurant, the bar and then the covered and uncovered outdoor areas . Note that the entire complex meets BBC standards (Low Consumption Building) and BDM (European Sustainable Building), so it is environmentally friendly and is even one of the "100 exemplary buildings with low energy consumption".
Upstairs, we have the right to a complete guided tour by Florian. He shows us a over-equipped room , with the best machines in the world. The room is a little small, although separated by universe:cardio / muscu / fitness room. But as our host told us so well, here we focus on quality and not quantity . We must offer sports club subscribers the opportunity to play sports in a healthy and qualitative environment without thinking about the number of people who will buy an entry ticket. At the Z5, practicing sport should be fun , treadmills, for example, have an all-touch screen, where you can watch dozens of channels, plug in your phone, listen to your own music and "incidentally" also adjust the slope of the treadmill> or even speed.
We continue the visit with the designer changing rooms fully equipped with hairdryers, showers, toilets, mirrors, private cupboards, etc. Then we discover two large pools, two swimming pools equipped with aquagym equipment . It is here that we realize that we are behind the scenes, the famous Z5 logo that appeared in the stone when we arrived is here, it offers exceptional light piecemeal and reminds us that we are at Zidane , not elsewhere.
Then the must:the relaxation area with hammam, sauna, relaxation area, massage room. Florian saved the best for last, unfortunately we didn't want to try his installations otherwise you wouldn't be reading this article, we would still be on a deckchair listening to Zen music!
Synthetic turf is in the spotlight, protective nets too. So there are three indoor stadiums on the right and left of the main building, without forgetting a mini-stadium for mini players and futsal players, in other words children up to 5/6 years old. We can tell you that there is level! We were able to discover these facilities in the afternoon with matches between several teams:
On 20×30 meter pitches , teams of 5 compete with the possibility of using rebounds on the edges of the field and taking advantage of the proximity to play differently. This is what Saïd Nasser told us who is part of the competition team. "Futsal is much more interesting because the pitch is smaller, you have to think fast to play faster ". Saïd also told us that it was an honor to come here and an indescribable joy to be able to meet Zidane . Our youngster, who has been playing football since a very young age, even told us that he would come back to play here without any problem, for him Zizou once again proves his investment in young people with the Z5 .
Zinedine Zidane is there, to know where he is exactly just look at where all the photographers and journalists are. Then comes a merciless war to be able to approach him, between fans, bodyguards, photographers, it is almost impossible unless you step on a few feet or sneak your way. It was hard but mission accomplished for one of the members:to get an autograph from Zidane! This outstanding football player has remained incredibly calm throughout the day, refusing no photo to anyone, chatting with everyone and offering a spectacle worthy of the World Cups during tournaments:stepovers, wheels, volleyball and other football acrobatics. Congratulations to this great man which continues and which will continue to make whole generations dream.
We would like to thank Brice from Adidas for inviting us to the masterfully organized event. Florian for his guided tour of the sports club as well as his Italian colleague/boss and his beautiful accent. Saïd and his team friends for the few minutes he gave us.
I especially want to thank the person from the blue team for shooting me in the head (remember to increase the size of the protective nets 20 meters! thank you), to the photographer outstanding who assisted me and supported me all day and of course at Zidane without whom this day would not have been lived.
We will undoubtedly test the Z5 and we will keep you informed!
205, avenue du 12 Juillet
Aix en Provence business hub
13290 Les milles
04.42.20.55.55
Every day from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Off-peak hours:€5
Peak hours:€7.5
