“We don’t want to go to Marcq!” Members of the Domyos club in Lille say it did not close

This Thursday, October 24, nearly a hundred registrants gathered at the Domyos club in Lille in the town of B’twin to show their disappointment and disagreement with Decathlon’s decision to close their gym.

Close the Domyos club in Lillescheduled for March 2025, announced on October 4. Since then, a wave of protests emerged among members. After launching a petition that gathered more than 2,000 signatures through the “oppose Domyos” movement, the Lille athletes wanted to talk to the leaders face-to-face. The message is clear: “Not to close our second home”.

Clear requests

While the procession had been quietly assembled for a few minutes, the presentation began with the reading of the text written by the two initiators of the movement. A text would then be sent to the gym managers. For five minutes and to the emotional reactions of the audience, the feelings and requests of subscribers were presented.

These left no room for doubt; the members will not give up and we expect to reverse the decision: “We will continue and strengthen our actions as long as we do not have a concrete response from Decathlon announcing that the club will not be closed”. However, it is necessary to be aware of the discipline of the athletes who wanted to keep the event in good humor and not too much.

A room that cannot be changed

To follow through on their decision, Decathlon invited current subscribers to transfer their membership to the Domyos club in Marcq-en-Baroeul. However, in the hearts of the people of Lille, this club has nothing to do with their “little bubble of happiness” in the Fives area. They describe this place as “family and inclusive”, especially thanks to the many infrastructures that allow children to have fun while parents enjoy the session have at the club.

In addition, the location of this room is a major asset. In fact, it is located in a working-class neighborhood, at the heart of the “Fives Cail” urban renewal project. As they are mostly residents of this area, the members are disappointed that the club could be closed which would affect the development transformation of the area.

By also serving a new network of cycle paths, this club allows a large proportion of subscribers to get there by bike or even on foot. Moving all members from Lille to Marcq-en Baroeul would force them to use the car and therefore increase their carbon footprint. Enough to awaken Decathlon’s ecological awareness. It also makes you wonder if the brand’s motto, “sport for all”, is still relevant when it restricts the access of hundreds of people to their gym.

Misunderstood justification

“Strengthening the fitness market in Marcq-en-Baroeul”. This is how Decathlon justified its decision to close the Lille club. For the members, this was not enough: the more than positive results of the room (several hundred members were welcomed 7 days a week through different sessions) made this decision unacceptable . Especially since the Marcq-en-Baroeul club would be overloaded with all these movements, reducing the quality of the sessions.

This decision would also affect the local economy. “The club improves the quality of life for 2,000 decathlon workers in the city btwin and 1,000 outside members.”

“The ball is in your court”

After chanting several slogans under the Decahlon offices, the demonstrators were able to have a brief conversation with the manager of Domyos Lille. They criticized Decathlon in particular for an announcement made in a “shameful” way as well as sending an email the same morning to subscribers distributing. cancel club closures. This message was interpreted by many as a way to limit the number of protesters later in the day.

After listening to the members’ gentle requests, the manager made it clear that a conversation was ongoing and that she had no further information at this time. If some exhibitors were mixed: “She did not promote sincerity,” said a disappointed demonstrator, although one of the leaders of the movement stressed that this discussion was positive. In fact, she could not have imagined that this action would become so important. “We can fight Goliath,” she says proudly. She admits that speaking to the club members was a “step forward”, as big as it was. Inspiration for the future.

The struggle is still going on for these Lille athletes who want to continue their sessions in the b’twin city well beyond March 2025. It is possible to follow and support the movement by following the page @resistdomyos on Instagram.

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