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After years of uncertainty, the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) has secured a renewed lease for its Churchgate stadium, valid till 2046. This move marks a revival for Mumbai's hockey scene, which had been struggling amid governance changes. Though the lease was originally signed in 2017, confusion arose when the Maharashtra government briefly cancelled it over unmet development promises. The new agreement restores MHA's control, which had been diminished after Hockey India's one-state-one-association policy sidelined the body. With the lease now confirmed, MHA plans to restart tournaments and add a dedicated practice ground-opening new opportunities for budding hockey players in the city.
After a long spell of uncertainty, the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) has reclaimed its position in city sports by securing a renewed lease for its stadium at Churchgate. The lease, finalized last week, extends MHA's rights over the 18,296-sq-m facility until the end of 2046-giving a new lease of life not just to the stadium, but to Mumbai's struggling hockey ecosystem. Advertisement
The lease agreement dates back to January 2017, but confusion erupted when the Maharashtra government issued a resolution last month declaring the allotment to MHA cancelled. The cancellation was based on claims by the Deputy Director of Sports and Youth Services, Mumbai, who said the association had failed to fulfill several promised development obligations. The resolution stated that the government would take control of the stadium to advance hockey infrastructure, dealing a serious blow to the already weakened MHA.
This renewal puts an end to that uncertainty. It also reasserts MHA's ownership in a context where it had lost significant influence following Hockey India's implementation of the one-state-one-association policy. That policy had replaced MHA's official status with Hockey Maharashtra, which created two separate ad hoc bodies Hockey Mumbai City and Hockey Mumbai Suburb to manage city hockey affairs. As a result, MHA's role was reduced to a symbolic presence, with limited control over events at its own stadium.
At present, the stadium hosts only limited events under the District Sports Officer's purview, and a few city teams use it for practice. With the new lease in place, MHA has announced plans to not only revive tournaments but also build a separate practice ground alongside the main field, expanding access for emerging talent.
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