Footballers, coaches protest BMC proposal to turn Bandra ground into convention centre

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Footballers, coaches protest against the BMC proposal to turn Bandra ground into convention centre. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Hundreds of footballers, coaches, parents and supporters gathered at the Neville D'Souza Football Ground in Bandra on Sunday (August 23, 2026) to protest against a proposal to convert the ground into a convention-cum-exhibition centre, saying the redevelopment would take away one of the city's few accessible football grounds and affect thousands of players.

The protest came amid the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's push to clear the proposal. According to protesters, the ground is used by players ranging from young children to senior footballers for training, school tournaments and league matches.

The ground, which has been in use since 2018, sees football activity from early morning until late at night, with several academies and clubs using the facility for training and competitive matches.

“We have almost 14,000 people playing on this ground. Everyone from the ages of five onwards plays on this ground. School tournaments, league matches, and more happen here. It will be very sad if this ground is lost,” said Nigel Neville D'Souza, the son of the famous Indian footballer Neville D'Souza.

Coaches at the protest said losing the ground would disrupt training schedules and leave academies uncertain about where their players would practise and compete in the next season.

“In a week I coach more than 100-200 players from different age groups. I've been a part of this ground since its inception in 2018 and our club Mumbai Warriors FC played many matches here,” said Rajkumar Ashappa, head coach of Rafa Football Academy and Mumbai Warriors FC.

“If anything India needs to develop in football, it is more grounds. Then we may have a chance to compete at the Asian Cup. If you take away the existing grounds, that is unacceptable and uncalled for,” he said.

Mr. Ashappa said officials had told football groups that an alternative ground would be provided, but that no details had been given on where or when it would be made available.

Vishal Rathod, a senior coach with MSB Academy and the IOT club said the uncertainty was already affecting planning for the next season. “Both the academy and the club I am a part of play a lot of matches on this ground. I have been coaching here for seven years. It doesn't make sense to change the ground into a convention centre,” he said.

Mr. Rathod questioned the need for another convention facility in the area, pointing to the existing convention infrastructure around the ground.

“Planning for our club has been affected because we don't know where we will play next season. Parents are hesitant to send their children, and senior players are probably thinking about what will happen next season,” he said.

“This is a very wrong move. We have to think about the future, about where we will play.