MFA Moves Bombay HC Against Proposed Conversion Of Bandra’s Neville D’Souza Football Ground Into Convention Centre

Mumbai, August 7, 2026: The Mumbai Football Association (MFA) has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a proposal to convert Bandra’s Neville D’Souza Football Ground into an exhibition and convention centre, arguing that the move would destroy one of Mumbai’s most important football venues.

The petition challenges a November 3, 2025 letter issued by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and a recommendation made by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Improvements Committee in May 2026 to change the land reservation of the ground.

The proposal seeks to alter the reservation under Section 37(1) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, from a playground and open space to a convention or exhibition centre.

MFA Seeks Urgent Interim Relief

The association has also sought an urgent hearing, as the proposal is expected to be placed before the BMC’s civic house on August 10. It has requested interim relief restraining authorities from changing the ground’s character, removing sports infrastructure, or taking any steps towards construction or allotment.

According to the petition, the MFA has maintained and managed the ground for over 15 years under permissions granted by MHADA. It said its application seeking continuation of the permission, submitted on July 31, 2025, is still pending.

Describing the ground as the backbone of Mumbai’s football ecosystem, the association has said that the 8,450-square-metre ground is equipped with FIFA-standard artificial turf and seating for around 5,000 spectators and hosts over 900 official matches every season. It is used by nearly 400 youth clubs, 300 senior teams, and more than 10,000 players across Mumbai.

“The ground is an existing, functioning, and intensively used public sporting amenity with established football infrastructure. The loss of the physical facility would disrupt the clubs, coaches, leagues, players, and community programmes which depend upon it,” the petition stated.

Association Questions Land Use Change

The MFA argued that the sanctioned Revised Development Plan 2034 designates the land as a playground and open space, and that the earlier 1983 Bandra Reclamation layout cannot override the current development plan. It claimed the proposal was initiated without notice, consultation, or a hearing despite the association being the authorised user of the ground.

The petition further contended that authorities failed to conduct any sports impact assessment, user survey, feasibility study, or alternative-site analysis before proposing the change.

It also disputed the claim that there is a shortage of convention facilities in the area, pointing to existing venues such as the Jio World Convention Centre, St. Andrew’s Auditorium, and the MMRDA Exhibition Grounds.

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MHADA Defends Original Reservation

MHADA, however, has maintained that the land was originally earmarked for a convention complex and that revenue generated from the project would support affordable housing initiatives.

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