In the evening, the courtyard of building 60 in the Yunus Rajabiy mahalla in Tashkent's Yakkasaray district is bustling. Adults and children living here, as well as residents of neighboring houses, have gathered near the football field, waiting for the start of a match between the children's teams Yunus Rajabiy and Santos Junior from the Yashnabad district.

Children in numbered jerseys are warming up by the goal. Underneath them lies a new artificial turf with rubber infill. The field is enclosed with netting around the perimeter and overhead, similar to fully equipped mini-football pitches.

In early June, the only football field in the entire mahalla, which was in high demand among children, looked completely different. It was an uneven, trampled dirt field without any covering or fencing. A five-story office building was planned to be constructed in its place. To preserve the field for children and protect the courtyard from construction, residents spent four years defending their rights in court. The newspaper Gazeta regularly followed this process, publishing a total of 10 articles.

The story began in 2022 when residents of building 60 accidentally discovered on the e-auksion.uz website that an inter-courtyard plot of 0.0561 hectares had been put up for sale. This land, which housed the football field and green area, was sold to a businessman for the construction of an office building. Residents lost several court cases. However, in December 2024, the revision board of the Tashkent City Administrative Court overturned the decision to approve the project. In early 2026, the Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan filed a protest against this decision, and the case reached the Supreme Court. On May 14, the Supreme Court board issued a final ruling in favor of the residents.

While residents fought to preserve the courtyard and field, children continued to play football there, and the Tashkent Football Association has been regularly organizing tournaments since 2023. These tournaments were specifically aimed at drawing attention to the problem of construction on courtyard football fields. The latest tournament, featuring teams from four districts, took place in early June — shortly after the Supreme Court's decision — and became a symbol of victory for the residents. At that time, activists expressed hope for formalizing the land plot, including it in the Tashkent Football Association's registry of football fields, and beginning improvement works.

This opportunity arose earlier — Carvon and Trest-12 companies approached the mahalla with a proposal to renovate the football field.

"Even when I was the head of the mahalla, we talked a lot about this field and tried to preserve it. Today, I am very happy to address you as a company representative. Because thanks to our company, our long-held dream has finally come true. The fact that this is happening in the year when the Uzbekistan national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time is symbolic," said Asal Toshpulatova, head of social projects for the Carvon and Trest-12 group of companies, at the opening ceremony of the renovated field.

Asal Toshpulatova. According to her, the work took about two weeks. A new covering with rubber crumb was laid on the field, and netting was installed around the perimeter and overhead in accordance with mini-football standards. A running track was organized around the field, and benches for substitute players were installed.

For the companies, this is the first social project dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence. In the future, they plan to renovate football fields in other districts of Tashkent, and if the project is successful, to carry out similar works in regions beyond the capital.

Azamat Abduraimov, vice-president of the Tashkent Football Association and honored coach of Uzbekistan, also helped residents in their fight to preserve the field. In his opinion, the day the field opened was one of the happiest for the mahalla and Tashkent football as a whole.

"On such fields, children grow up to become great football masters — Shomurodovs, Qosimovs. This is our future. Even if they don't become champions or football stars, the most important thing is that they grow up healthy," he said.

Azamat Abduraimov. According to Abduraimov, a section of the Tashkent Kids football program will start operating on the field for children from the mahalla and neighboring courtyards.

"Not everyone can get into Pakhtakor or Bunyodkor — there is a selection process. But if we help children who love football, teach them to play, and prevent them from sitting glued to their phones, that will be our biggest victory," said Abduraimov.

Officially, the status of the land plot has not changed. It is still listed in the city's land reserve and has not been registered in the cadastre.

"Representatives of our mahalla have already applied to the authorities on this issue. We hope that our application will be resolved positively," said Mukarram Bahramkhodjaeva, an active resident of building 60.

Among the spectators of the match was the hokim of Yakkasaray district, Nilufar Allabergenova.

Asal Toshpulatova emphasized that the companies are ready to help resolve this issue as well. Relying on the support of city and district hokimiyats, she intends to achieve the inclusion of the field in the registry of football fields, and then its official registration in the cadastre.

"It is important for us to formalize this document. Then tomorrow, in a year, and in 10 years, this field will serve the children of the mahalla," she stressed.

Source: www.gazeta.uz