Dempo

Foundation and early history (1960s–1980)

Dempo Sports Club began as "Bicholim Football Club", which was a top First Division league side in the 1960s. Football lovers in the country remember the Bicholim Football Club as one of the most talented football club in the country. Players including Subhash Sinari, Bernard Olivera, Tolentino Serrao, Bhaskar, Kalidas Gaad, Manohar Pednekar, Bhai Pednekar, Ganpat Gaonkar and Pandurang Gaonkar are still remembered to the Bicholim Football Club on a completely different standard compared to the other sports club existing at that moment. Bicholim Sports Club was later adopted by Dempo Souza in 1967 and was renamed Dempo Souza Sports Club. Even then the team remained one of the strongest team in the country with players like Eustaquio, Dass, Balaguru, Olavo, Colaco, Inacio, Felix Barreto, Thapa, Ramesh Redkar, Socrates Carvalho, Sadanand Asnodkar and Tulsidas Alornekar. In 1969, the team stood as the first runner-up in the Vasco Sports Club in the Senior Division League.

The Dempo Souza Sports Club finally became Dempo Sports Club, after Dempo bought Mr Michael D'Souza's stake in the Dempo Souza enterprise. However, Dempo Sports Club prospered when Vasantrao Dempo, the chairman of the House of Dempo, extended his benefaction to football team in an extensive manner. Dempo then came at par with the other business houses, like Salgaocar, Agencia Commercial Maritima, Shantilal and Sesa Goa who had their own teams. Dempo Sports Club started out as Dempo Souza Football Club in 1961 and was taken over when they made the company their own Dempo Corporation around that time. The club was started by Michael deSouza and the logo and colours that the club wears currently was what he had chosen for the team. The club won their first Goan Senior League title in 1972. The club then won their first ever national pan-India tournament in 1975 by winning the Rovers Cup. British coach Bob Bootland took charge of Dempo in 1978 and changed the way India looked at its football with a revolutionary 4–3–3 style of play. The club then won the Rovers Cup again in 1978. The club defended their title one year later in 1979. Their first double. Dempo clinched Stafford Challenge Cup titles in 1975 and 1979.

Gaining prominence (1980–2000)

Dempo then entered their "Golden-Age" during the 1980s. Dempo won a host of small cups and they also won the Rovers Cup again in 1986 by beating historic club Mohun Bagan. The club also won the Goan League in 1986 and 1987.

The club then went on to participate in their first international tournament named POMIS Cup in Malé, and achieved runner-up positions twice in 1991 and 1992. The club then won the Rovers Cup again by beating Mohun Bagan again and were then one of the original 12 teams in the first National Football League in 1996. The club then got relegated in 1999–2000 but got promoted the very next season.

Later years (2000–present)

Dempo won their first NFL championship in 2004. They also won the last NFL season. Later, they clinched Durand Cup title, thrashing JCT Mills by 2–0 in the 2006 final. Dempo then won the maiden I-League season in 2007–08. As a result of this title win, Dempo played in AFC competition in 2008 during the 2008 AFC Cup, and ended their campaign as semi-finalist. They again won the league in 2009–10 and 2011–12.

In 2011, Dempo signed Trinidadian and Tobago international Densill Theobald as marquee player, who represented his nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After the 2012–13 season, where Dempo finished in 5th place, they parted ways with their most successful coach Armando Colaco, with whom they had won 5 League titles. They appointed Arthur Papas, who had previously been the head coach of the Indian U23 Men's National Team. Dempo finished their 2013–14 campaign with a 4th-place finish.

In March 2015, after losing their final match to fellow Goan and relegation threatened club Salgaocar 2–0, they got relegated for the first time from I-league and later participated in I-League 2nd Division. In 2015–16 I-League Second Division season, they clinched title. Then, the club was hit by numerous injuries, which had ruined their season in the top division. Before the start of the 2016–17 season, Dempo, along with fellow Goan clubs, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube, announced their withdrawal from the I-League. After their withdrawal from I-League, Dempo participated later editions of the I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of Indian football league system.

In the 2021–22 Goa Professional League season, Samir Naik managed Dempo end decade long wait, and clinched the title in style. In February–March 2023, the club participated in Stafford Challenge Cup in Bangalore. In July 2023, Dempo roped in Scottish-Indian football pundit and manager Pradhyum Reddy as club's CEO. The club later won GFA Charity Cup in August 2023, beating Sporting Goa in final. In that month of the same year, Dempo gained an I-League 3 spot to compete in the inaugural edition. In that edition, they reached play-offs, finished second and secured promotion to I-League 2.