History of Dempo S.C.

This is the history of Dempo Sports Club since their beginning in 1968.

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.

1967-1970

Dempo Sports Club originally started as Bicholim Football Club but was then brought by Dempo Corporation founder Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1967 and then he renamed the club Dempo Sports Club. After being brought by Dempo Sports Club the club went on a spending spree and signed Olavo Pereira, Felix Barreto, Socorro Coutinho, Ramesh Redkar, Socrates Carvalho, Sadanand Asnodkar and Tulsidas Alornekar. Two years later Dempo finished as runners-up in the Goa Senior Division just behind Vasco.

1971–1980

After the 1971–72 Goa Senior Division, Dempo won their first-ever league title by overcoming teams like Salgaocar and Vasco. Dempo then won the Rovers Cup in 1975, which was Dempo's first ever national championship win, by beating Tata Sports Club, by beating them 1–0. It was not a good decade for Dempo with regards to the Nizam Gold Cup. They lost three consecutive finals in 1972, 1973 and 1974, once to BSF and twice to RAC. But they finally broke the duck, winning the 1978 edition against Customs and Central Excise thanks to a grounder from Dempo skipper and stopper back Nicholas Pereira.

Then in 1978 Dempo won the Rovers Cup again by beating Orkay Mills FC 2–1. Dempo then defended that title in 1979 by beating JCT FC in the finals.

1981-1990

This decade was looked at as the "golden age of Dempo Sports Club" with players like Camilo Gonsalves, Mauricio Afonso, Jose Fernandes, Alex Fernandes, Mario Soares, Lector Mascarenhas, goalkeeper Chandrakant Naik and Baptist Fernandes playing for the team. In 1982 the club won the Bandodkar Trophy by beating Salgaocar 3–0. They then won the trophy again in 1983 against ITI 5–1 and again in 1984 again against Salgaocar, this time 2–0. Dempo then won the Rovers Cup again in 1986 against Mohun Bagan. After that Dempo once again won the Bandodkar Trophy in 1986.

The club also won the Goa Pro League during the 1986 and 1987 season.

1991-2000

Dempo won their first international tournament in January 1991 in Malé by beating New Radiant SC. They won the match 5–4. Dempo then won the Rovers Cup again by beating Mohun Bagan 2–0. The club then reached the Final of the 1996 Indian Federation Cup but lost.

In 1996 Dempo became one of the original 12 clubs in the National Football League and finished top of Group B but finished fourth in the Final Round. Then during the 1999-2000 season the club got relegated after finishing in last place.

2001-2007

In 2001 Dempo won promotion back into the NFL. In 2004 Dempo won the Federation Cup and the National Football League for the first time. They then won the NFL again during the 2006-07 season which turned out to be the last season of the NFL before the I-League started.

2007-Present

Dempo made Indian Football history when they were one of the first teams to participate in the newly formed I-League. They soon managed to make more history after winning the first ever I-League season in 2007-08. Due to their success in the I-League Dempo participated in the 2008 AFC Cup where they shocked people by making the Semi-Finals after defeating Singapore side Home United FC 4-3 in the quarter-finals.

After winning the 2007-08 I-League season Dempo participated in the 2009 AFC Champions League west Asian qualification stage where they lost to United Arab Emirates side Sharjah SC 3-0. After getting knocked out of the AFC Champions League Dempo failed to win the 2008-09 I-League by finishing 4th in the table.

The 2009-10 I-League started brightly as with wins over big rivals Churchill Brothers SC, Mohun Bagan AC, and Mumbai FC. The victory was over goan rivals Churchill Brothers SC which Dempo SC won 4-2. At the end of 26 games Dempo SC came out as champions for the 2nd time in the I-League with a final total of 54 points.

The 2010-11 I-League season started off with three losses so far against Kingfisher East Bengal FC, Salgaocar SC, and surprisingly Air India FC. Later in the year Dempo played in the AFC Champions League for the second time ever in their history in the 2011 AFC Champions League west Asian qualification round where they lost 2-0 to Qatar side Al-Sadd. After Dempo were knocked out of the AFC Champions League they entered the group stage of the 2011 AFC Cup. They started the campaign with a 2-1 win over Al-Tilal from Yemen. At the end of the 2010-11 I-League season the defending champs scored the biggest margin victory in the I-League, 14-0 over Air India FC.

Then during the 2011–12 I-League season Dempo won the I-League again and thus won their third I-League title. 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 coach of All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) developmental side, Pailan Arrows. Dempo finished their 2013-14 campaign with a 4th-place finish.