The iconic Sportsfield building at Worli Sea Face, which has housed several Indian sporting legends including Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar, is set to undergo redevelopment nearly four decades after its construction.
The nine-storey Sportsfield building is home to several former Indian and Mumbai sportspersons and their families. The 39-year-old structure is now being planned for replacement with a modern high-rise featuring upgraded amenities and improved infrastructure.
Yajurvindra Singh, former India cricketer and treasurer of the Sportsfield Co-Operative Housing Society, said residents had been pursuing redevelopment for years due to the ageing structure and mounting maintenance issues.
“We have been trying for redevelopment for several years. The building is old, dilapidated and needing a fair amount of repairs. Furthermore, we have parking problems, and due to the several leakages in the building and individual flats, the wear and tear have made it an impossible problem to solve.
We went through an extensive process and looked at 10 builders, finally zeroing on one. Unfortunately, the builder who was on board decided to pull out a little over a year ago, and we then had to select once again. The present builder has several projects in Wadala and other sites in Mumbai as well. We signed them last November, and the final permissions, etc. will be obtained within the next 15 days. All of us, thereafter, have two months to move out.”
The proposed redevelopment will transform the existing structure into a high-rise, with plans to provide current residents with larger and more contemporary accommodation. The new development is expected to include a gymnasium, swimming pool, banquet halls, refuge floors and additional parking.
Singh said, “We are relatively certain this is going to be an extremely exclusive, upscale, and iconic building on Worli Sea Face. The new-age design includes a gym, swimming pool, banquet halls, and refuge floors. All that comes with towers these days.”
Sportsfield society chairman Dilip Vengsarkar said the project would address long-standing maintenance and parking concerns.
“I guess that would be ideal, but I do not think that is possible. We are looking forward to more parking space, also all the problems of old buildings, maintenance challenges that were getting quite overwhelming will be resolved. Everything is in place, and we should all be moving out by October. We have a timeline of 3.5 years.”
A proposed ‘Hall of Fame’ displaying photographs of sporting legends associated with the building is also being discussed.
The land was sanctioned by the Maharashtra government following India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup victory, with the late Ajit Wadekar playing a role in securing the allotment. Construction was completed in 1987.
The developer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the redevelopment plans and said, “We are looking at a high-rise. This is the sporting Kohinoor of Mumbai. We are inviting bids from international architects. We need the design, the overall ambience to reflect its uniqueness.”
The redevelopment will mark a new chapter for a building whose residents have long been closely associated with Indian sporting history.
Source: Mid-day
