Dempo became the first Indian football club to reach the semi-final of the AFC Cup tournament in 2008.[10][11] The club has won several accolades and honors. In the 2004–05 season, the club won its maiden National Football League title.[12][13] They won the league again in the 2006–07 season, and followed it with the three I-League triumphs in 2007–08 in its inaugural version,[14][15] and then in 2009–10, and again in 2011–12,[16] making them the second most successful club on the national front with 5 domestic top-division league titles; after Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan.[17][18][19][20]
Dempo Sports Club was founded in Bicholim in 1961, as Clube Desportivo de Bicholim.[26][27] The club was then a Goan First Division league side in the 1960s.[28] 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.[29][30]
Bicholim Sports Club was later adopted by Dempo Souza in 1967 and was renamed Dempo Souza Sports Club.[27] 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.[30] In 1969, the team stood as the first runner-up in the Vasco Sports Club in the Senior Division League.[30] The Dempo Souza Sports Club finally became Dempo Sports Club, after Dempo bought Mr Michael D'Souza's stake in the Dempo Souza enterprise.[30][27] 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.[30] Dempo then came at par with the other business houses, like Salgaocar, Agencia Commercial Maritima, Shantilal and Sesa Goa who had their own teams.[6][31]
The club, started by Michael deSouza, still use the logo and colours that was chosen by him. They won their first Goan Senior League title in 1972.[32] They then won their first ever national pan-India tournament in 1975 by winning the Rovers Cup.[33] 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.[34] The club then won the Rovers Cup again in 1978.[31] The club defended their title one year later in 1979. Their first double. Dempo clinched Stafford Challenge Cup titles in 1975 and 1979.[35][36]
Gaining prominence (1980–2000)
Dempo then entered their "Golden-Age" during the 1980s.[31] 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.[31]
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.[37] 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.[38] The club then got relegated in 1999–2000 but got promoted the very next season.[39]
Later years (2000–present)
Dempo won their first NFL championship in 2004.[31] They also won the last NFL season.[8] Later, they clinched Durand Cup title, thrashing JCT Mills by 2–0 in the 2006 final.[40][41] Dempo then won the maiden I-League season in 2007–08.[42][43][44] 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, losing to Lebanese club Safa 5–1 in aggregate.[45][46] They again won the domestic 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.[47] 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.[48][49] They appointed Arthur Papas, who had previously been the head coach of the Indian U23 Men's National Team.[50]
Dempo finished their 2013–14 campaign with a 4th-place finish.[51][52]
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.[53] In 2015–16 I-League Second Division season, they clinched title.[54][55] Then, the club was hit by numerous injuries, which had ruined their season in the top division.[56] 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.[57][58] After their withdrawal from I-League, Dempo participated later editions of the I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of Indian football league system.[59][60]
In the 2021–22 Goa Professional League season, Samir Naik managed Dempo end decade long wait, and clinched the title in style.[61] In February–March 2023, the club participated in Stafford Challenge Cup in Bangalore.[62][63] In July 2023, Dempo roped in Scottish-Indian football pundit and manager Pradhyum Reddy as club's CEO.[64] The club later won GFA Charity Cup in August 2023, beating Sporting Goa in final.[65] In that month of the same year, Dempo gained an I-League 3 spot to compete in the inaugural edition.[66][67][68] In that edition, they reached play-offs, finished second and secured promotion to I-League 2.[69][70][71] The club ended their I-League 2 campaign on a high note with 27 points in 14 matches, achieved second place and earned promotion to the 2024–25 I-League.[72][73] Thus, Dempo returned to the I-League after a gap of nine years.[74][75]
Dempo became part of the 2024 Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy in August 2024.[76][77][78] The club began the tournament campaign with a 5–1 defeat to A-League Men club Brisbane Roar on 24 August, in which the only goal was scored through a header by Shallum Pires.[79][80] In the 2024–25 I-League season, Dempo's Trinidadian striker Marcus Joseph scored two hat-tricks in their 8–1 win against SC Bengaluru and 5–2 win against Aizawl.[81][82] As the league season wrapped up, Dempo secured a 4–3 away win against title contender Gokulam Kerala on the final day (April 6), finishing on sixth place with 29 points, while their arch-rival Churchill Brothers finished on top of the table and secured promotion to the Indian Super League.[83][84][85]
The Dempo Sports Club crest is the official logo for Dempo Corporations sports clubs that it owns. The logo includes the words Goa (name of the state Dempo is based in) and Dempo Sports Club (team name). The logo also includes a picture of a golden bird in the middle of the crest.[86]
The official colours of Dempo Sports Club are blue and white.[87][88] Ever since their creation Dempo's home colours have always involved blue,[89] mainly with the shirts while the shorts were always either blue or black. The away colours were always all white but then in 2011 when Dempo unveiled their away kit the shirt had black stripes on it. The shorts however remain the same.
Ahead of the club's 2020–21 football season, the Golden Eagles introduced the new home and away jerseys to show solidarity towards the health workers in Goa. The team announced that they will proudly bear the words "Thank You Goa's Covid Warriors" on their Home and Away jerseys.[90]
Rivalries
Dempo has a major rivalry with their fellow Goan side Churchill Brothers, popularly known as "Goan Derby".[91][92][93] Both the teams are jointly most successful clubs in I-League, having won the title thrice.[94][95][96]
The 19,000-capacity Fatorda Stadium opened in 1989 and Dempo SC uses it for most of its I-League matches.[103] The stadium also served as club's home ground in continental tournaments including the AFC Cup.[104]Nagoa Ground in Mapusa became the home ground of Dempo during the 2012–13 I-League, alongside Tilak Maidan.[105][106][107][108][109] The stadium got its astroturf in 2012 as part of FIFA's Win in India with India program. Dempo moved to Fatorda Stadium for the 2024–25 season of I-League.[110]
Training ground
Sircaim was used as a destination for the training of Dempo, the other being at Sanquelim. The Sesa Football Academy Ground is located at Sircaim and they used it for pre-season training from 2014 to 2015.[111]
Ella Academy Ground
A 48,450-square-meter training complex in Old Goa, the Ella Academy, was opened in 2017 by Dempo. Ella Academy Ground has also been used as the home ground for the club's both senior and junior teams.[112][113]
Ownership and finances
Dempo Sports Club's main sponsor and owner is Dempo Mining Corporation Limited.[114] The club has been owned by Dempo since their creation. As part of the sponsorship from Dempo the club also named itself Dempo Sports Club and is classed as an institutional club in that case.[114]
The finances given to the club are very limited which meant that the club was forced to spend less on infrastructure and proven players and spend more on local youth development.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Armando Colaco (center) with Brazilian football legend Zico (left). Colaco guided Dempo to win five national league titles.
Dempo roped in their first foreign coach in 1977, when British national Robert "Bob" Bootland joined the club as a trainer.[118] The club hired their first professional manager in 2000, Armando Colaco;[119] he remained with the club until the end of season 2012–13 and gave five domestic league titles.[120][121][122] In June 2013, the club signed Greek-Australian manager Arthur Papas who was already working in India as the Indian U23 National Team coach.
Rovers Cup (1975), Stafford Challenge Cup (1975), Nizam Gold Cup (1975), Plaza Cup (1975), Bordoloi Shield (1975), Bandodkar Gold Trophy (1976), Goa Professional League (1972; 1974), Taça Goa (1977), Pele Cup (1977)
The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Dempo SC.[139][Note 1]
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.[190]
Also known as 'POMIS International Cup' [not POMIS Cup]; Dempo captained by Camilo Gonsalves took part in the tournament in Malé and defeated local side New Radiant 5–4 via the tie-breaker (penalty shoot-out) in the final.
The POMIS Cup (fully known as: 'President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup') an international club football tournament incorporated in 1987, is the only international club tournament held in the Maldives, organized by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM).
^Sharma, Sukalp (31 May 2010). "Indias biggest league". financialexpress.com. The Financial Express. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
^Technologies, Sancoale (3 August 2020). "Stafford Challenge Cup 1975". demposportsclub.in. Dempo Sports Club. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
^Technologies, Sancoale (3 August 2020). "Stafford Challenge Cup 1979". demposportsclub.in. Dempo Sports Club. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
^Sharda, Deepankar (12 December 2016). "Minerva FC to debut in 2017 I-League". tribuneindia.com. Chandigarh: The Tribune India News. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
