Dempo SC, even after returning to the mainstream of Indian football after nine years, ensuring a berth in the elite I-League, has not celebrated. The club’s chairman Shrinivas Dempo has announced a big cash incentive for the team. 

But simultaneously, the club’s top brass has declared that the celebration will only be conducted after Dempo clinch the elite I-league title next season! 

Significantly, Armando Colaco, even after leaving Dempo SC 11 years ago, is still remembered in Dempo. Samir Naik, the team's present coach, one of Armando's students during the team's golden period of five national League titles, revealed, "He sent me the congratulatory message on the evening we won our last match and ensured a berth in the elite I-League. He wrote, 'Congratulations, keep going.' While coaching in Dempo I have applied a few new things in style of coaching, but I still follow the coaching philosophy I learned from Armando.”

Samir was also overwhelmed by the club’s chairman’s congratulatory message. “He was in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Immediately after hearing about our qualification for the elite I-League, he called and congratulated me.”

The journey was not easy for the Goan outfit when it started playing in the third division of the I-League. The club even made an official appeal to the AIFF requesting them to consider the legacy Dempo SC had built up in Indian football and allow them to participate in the second division I-League.

“I had only six footballers before I-League-3 last season. I roamed around Goa and scouted the promising footballers.”

Samir mentioned another key point of his satisfaction adding, "Seven footballers of our team were from other states. All of the remaining 23 footballers were local, especially from the Dempo Youth Development program and I am proud that five to six footballers among them were consistent." 

Samir wants all the national coaches in different age groups including the senior national coach watch second division I-League matches. “If you want to build up quality national team with potential Indian footballers and even make a list of quality Indian footballers then you must have to watch Second Division I-league matches. You will be able to shortlist quality footballers. Otherwise, watching only ISL where the teams' wins and losses depend on foreign strikers, midfielders and foreign defenders, cannot help you to make a pool of quality Indian footballers.”     

The AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey sounded also happy with the return of Dempo SC to the elite-I-League. He commented, "The club once had pulled itself out of the mainstream of Indian football. It is really exciting to see them back again in the I-League. Dempo's return will not inspire Goan football but their presence in the I-league will also enrich the Indian football." 

According to the coach, the key reason behind Dempo’s decision to return to the I-league is the commencement of promotion to the ISL from the I-League. "Once the promotion to the ISL commenced our chairman showed interest in reviving the club's football," said Samir Naik. The Goan club is set to build up another ground in Ella, old Goa beside their playing ground.