Dempo S.C.

Foundation and early history (1961–1980)

Dempo Sports Club was founded in Bicholim in 1961, as Clube Desportivo de Bicholim. The club was then a Goan First Division league side in the 1960s. Football lovers remember the Bicholim football club as one of the most talented 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 as part of the Bicholim club that was on a completely different level compared other existing clubs at the time. 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. The club, started…

Widely considered one of the most successful clubs in the Indian football circuit due to their domestic exploits, the club also holds the distinct honour of becoming the first Indian club to reach the Semi-Finals of the AFC Cup in 2008.

Domestic

League

NFL/I-League Champions (5): 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12 Runners-up (1): 2003–04 Third place (1): 2010–11 NFL II/I-League 2 Champions (2): 2001–02, 2015–16 Runners-up (1): 2023–24 I-League 3 Runners-up (1): 2023–24 Goa Football League/Goa Professional League Champions (16): 1972, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2021–22, 2022–23 Runners-up (4): 1984–85, 2006–07, 2019–20, 2024–25 Third place (1): 2023–24 GFA Monsoon League Champions (1): 2025

Cup

Federation Cup Champions (1): 2004 Runners-up (5): 1996, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014–15 Indian Super Cup Champions (2): 2008, 2010 Runners-up (3): 2005, 2007, 2009 Durand Cup Champions (1): 2006 Rovers Cup Champions (4): 1975, 1979, 1980, 1986 Runners-up (1): 1989–90 Bordoloi Trophy Champions (2): 1982, 1983 Runners-up (1): 1981 Nizam Gold Cup Champions (1): 1978 Scissors Cup Champions (3): 1992, 1994, 1996 Sait Nagjee Football Tournament Runners-up (2): 1971, 1995 Bandodkar Gold Trophy Champions (8): 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991 Runners-up (4): 1971, 1973, 1975, 2016 Goa Police Cup Champions (1): 2005 Runners-up (2): 1999, 2021, 2023 Stafford Challenge Cup Champions (2): 1975,…