The Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation has become the centre of a major civic controversy after the BMC approved a proposal to change its reservation from a playground to an exhibition-cum-convention centre.
The Bombay High Court has presently restrained the BMC from taking further steps on the proposal until the next hearing.
A ground with a history
The land was part of the Bandra Reclamation layout approved in 1983, when a convention complex was proposed for the site. However, when the Development Plan 2034 was prepared, the plot was shown as a playground because a football ground was already functioning there.
The Mumbai Football Association received the site from MHADA in 2011. It was upgraded with a FIFA-standard artificial turf by MMRDA and inaugurated in 2018. The ground has a full-sized 106 × 72 metre playing surface and seating for around 5,000 spectators.
Named after Indian football legend Neville D’Souza, the venue has become one of Mumbai’s important football centres.
Tournaments and football
The ground regularly hosts Mumbai Football Association competitions, including the Mumbai Premier League, Maharashtra State Men’s Senior Football League and Nadkarni Cup. It is also used for youth, women’s and grassroots football.
It is therefore not simply an open plot. It is an established sporting facility serving players, clubs, academies and spectators.
What happens if the ground disappears?
Mumbai already has limited space for organised football and recreation. Removing one of its few full-sized football grounds could mean:
- Fewer venues for league and tournament matches
- Greater pressure on existing grounds
- Reduced opportunities for youth and grassroots football
- Disruption to clubs, academies, coaches and players
- Permanent loss of an important public sporting space
An exhibition centre may serve a purpose, but the question is whether it has to come at the cost of an existing sports facility.
Can citizens demand that the ground be retained?
Yes, citizens and affected organisations can question the proposed change through the planning and legal process.
The Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 provides procedures for changing Development Plan reservations. Section 37 requires public notice and provides an opportunity for affected persons to submit objections and suggestions before a modification is sanctioned.
Citizens can therefore demand:
- Full disclosure of the planning and reservation documents.
- Public consultation before any change in reservation.
- A clear justification for choosing this site for an exhibition centre.
- Assessment of Mumbai’s existing playground and football-ground availability.
- A genuinely equivalent replacement sports ground if the existing reservation is ultimately changed.
- Protection of the replacement ground from future redevelopment.
The argument is not that development should stop. It is that a functioning public sports facility should not disappear without examining alternatives and providing an equivalent sporting facility.
The larger issue
Mumbai cannot create open spaces easily once they are built over.
A convention or exhibition centre can potentially be planned at another suitable location. A lost football ground, once concretised, is unlikely to return.
The Neville D’Souza Ground is therefore about more than football.
It is about whether Mumbai will protect the limited spaces where its children and young people can play.
For now, the Bombay High Court has stopped further action on the proposed conversion. The next hearing is scheduled for September 18, 2026.
The demand is simple:
Save the ground. Follow the planning process. Protect Mumbai’s sporting spaces.
