MFA moves court to oppose BMC-Mhada move to change reservation of Bandra football ground

MUMBAI: The battle over the future of the Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation has reached the Bombay high court, with the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) challenging a proposal to convert the football venue into an exhibition or convention centre

MUMBAI: The battle over the future of the Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation has reached the Bombay high court, with the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) challenging a proposal to convert the football venue into an exhibition or convention centre.

HT was the first to report on May 20 about Bandra Reclamation losing out on this vital open space even before it was tabled before the civic improvements’ committee.

MFA, in its petition filed on Friday, alleged that the move was “arbitrary, illegal and threatens one of the city’s key football venues”. The Association has sought the quashing of a letter issued by Mhada on November 3, 2025, and a recommendation made by the BMC Improvements Committee in May 2026 to alter the land’s designation under Mumbai’s Revised Development Plan (DP) 2034.

The history of the open space goes back to 1983. According to the BMC’s DP department, Bandra Reclamation originally formed part of the Bandra-Kurla Complex notified area under the planning jurisdiction of MMRDA. In 2015, the state government made the BMC the planning authority of the area.

BMC officials had told HT that under the original Bandra Reclamation layout approved in 1983, the plot was earmarked for a convention complex. Mhada claimed that it allotted the site to MFA in 2011 “on a temporary basis”. However, while preparing the Draft Development Plan 2034, the BMC showed the land as an existing sports ground since it was functioning as an informal football field. Both agencies now want the land back for a convention centre and trade fairs.

MFA told the court that it had maintained and managed the football ground for organised football activities for over 15 years under permissions periodically renewed by Mhada. It said its application seeking continuation of the arrangement, submitted on July 31, 2025, remained pending without a decision and contended that despite being the existing authorised user of the ground, it was neither issued a notice nor given an opportunity to present its case before the proposal to change the reservation was recommended.

According to the MFA petition, the ground is designated as a playground and open space under the sanctioned Development Plan 2034, and this reservation cannot be altered without following the procedure prescribed under Section 37 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act. It has sought an immediate stay on any action that could alter the physical or functional character of the ground, citing media reports that the proposal is expected to be placed before the BMC’s civic house on August 10.

The MFA further claimed that the justification offered for the proposal that there is no convention or exhibition centre in the vicinity was factually incorrect. It pointed out that facilities such as the Jio World Convention Centre, St Andrews Auditorium and the MMRDA Exhibition Grounds already serve a similar purpose in the surrounding area. It argued that no assessment had been carried out to examine whether an alternative site could be used instead of sacrificing an existing sports ground.

The association told the court that more than 10,000 footballers use the ground and that its conversion would adversely affect “children, youth and women’s football” in Mumbai. Its petition warned that if the proposal was approved by the civic body, any subsequent legal challenge would become ineffective because the sporting infrastructure could be irreversibly damaged.

Among the reliefs sought, the MFA has requested the high court to permanently restrain the authorities from changing the reservation of the approximately 11,121-square-metre plot for any non-sporting purpose.

The Association has also sought directions to Mhada and the BMC to produce the complete records relating to the proposed modification, including the Mhada communication, the municipal commissioner’s note dated April 24, 2026, agenda papers, committee reports, technical studies, file jottings and correspondence with the state government.

Additionally, the MFA has asked the court to direct Mhada to decide its pending application for continuation of the ground’s maintenance through a reasoned order after granting it a hearing.

Pending the final disposal of the petition, the association has sought interim relief restraining the authorities from changing the ground’s physical nature, removing its football infrastructure, awarding tenders, creating third-party rights or initiating any construction activity. It has also sought permission to continue maintaining and using the ground for football activities on the existing terms until the matter is decided.