Bengaluru, Feb. 10 -- As availability of open plots in Bengaluru has contracted over the past three decades, the question of who can afford to play sport has moved from the margins to the centre of civic debate.

Public playgrounds that once functioned as free training grounds for neighbourhood youth are increasingly neglected or earmarked for "upgrades" that introduce fees, while private turf arenas, orderly, lit and bookable, have become the dependable alternative for those able to pay.

The strain is visible at Nandan Ground in Austin Town, one of the city's oldest open playing fields and long associated with the early development of football in Bengaluru. The ground has produced prominent Olympic and national-level footballers, includ...