Académica da Praia

In the following season, Kiki became president and Janito Carvalho became coach who previously coached Sporting Praia. Académica da Praia started the season without a loss for some seasons, the club defeated ADESBA and made it their second first win in the first week and the first in seasons being the sole club in the number one position with three points and three goals, a goal more than Sporting Praia. Their positions dropped to second in the second round. On 11 December, they made their win over Desportivo and made a four match winning streak where their position rose from sixth to second. A loss to Travadores could not hold their second position any longer and fell to fourth at the 11th round, they gained the third position with a win over Benfica Praia at round 15 and Vitória at round 17. After their final loss of the season to Boavista, the club would be fourth for the remainder of the season and finished it with 45 points, a small success gained and tied it with their 2004 totals, a club record.

Their first round match of the 2017–18 season was to feature Varanda, as that club withdrew, they were replaced with Tira Chapéu, their recent newcomer to the second tier competition, the match has been delayed until 3 January. Académica Praia started off the season with a win over Travadores, at round 3 on 19 November, the club did the unpredictable, a win away over almighty Sporting Praia with the result 3–2 and contested to be the master of the top three clubs of the south of the island alongside Boavista Praia as well as the country, also it was their next club's win over Sporting away in under seven years. Académica Praia became third as of the third round behind Celtic da Praia and Boavista Praia and ahead of Sporting. Académica made two more wins with a score 0–2, first to the weak Ribeira Grande, then to Benfica and the club was second. Académica recently lost to the powerful Boavista 0–1 and lost a position to third, where they are as of the sixth round with 12 points and has the second most goals with ten, second behind Celtic and Sporting Praia. Académica played with their first challenge with Tira Chapéu in their rescheduled match on 3 January and won 4–0, for the first round, Académica officially started first place for the season and first place for the first few rounds. On 10 January, Académica is first place since the eighth round, they currently have 27 points and already replaced Celtic as the first place, they are ahead of Boavista and four positions ahead of almighty Sporting, it remains at the 10th round and now has 30 points. In mid-January, Lito became coach of the club, he last coached Sporting. Académica Praia now had a six match winning streak and recently defeated the newcomer Tira Chapéu and kept that club in the possibly planned relegation zone, also it has a low possibility of having the same record as Sporting did last season . Later in the season, Académica has 39 goals in total which they became second overall behind their totals made in the 2007–08 and the 2008–09 Santiago South season. At round 18, Académica made their fourth straight win as they defeated Desportivo with the low result of 1–0 but the club has finally reached into club record in points 47 and also their 15 wins, though in the region, second behind Sporting Praia's 16 wins. After defeating Eugėnio Lima at the 19th round, they had 16 wins, the most in the region, also they scored 43 goals, a new club record along with their 53 points (third behind Boavista's and Sporting's 2017 total). Four days later, with Boavista's match with Eugênio Lima ending in a draw, Académica, who has an eight-point difference over second placed Boavista became regional champions and claimed their next regional title in nine years at the 22nd round. Académica has a seven match winning streak with their last over Tchadense, after their recent match, Académica had made a new regional point record which reached 56, surpassed Sporting's 55 made last season. Overall it is third behind Scorpion Vermelho's 61 and Varandinha's 63, both from the north of the island, both made in 2015. Celtic Praia was their season's final match, their seven match winning streak and their 15 match unbeaten streak came to an end as Académica suffered another loss with the score 1–2 and shattered another record attempt. Académica Praia finished with a new regional record of 56 points, of any in the archipelago, third overall.

The team won their first regional title after the breakup (around fifth overall) and took part in the 2004 and was a Group B club. The first match was a three-goal draw with Fogo's Vulcânico on 8 May, then a victory came as they defeated Maio's Onze Unidos. Round 3 was their bye week, a 4–1 win over SC Santa Maria of Sal was made, the last national match ended in a 2–1 loss to São Nicolau's FC Ultramarina played at the then home field in Ribeira Brava. Académica was second. They advanced to the semis and defeated Académico do Aeroporto of Sal in two legs with a total of 4–2, 2–1 in each match, that club which qualified as the 2003 national champion. Académica made it up to the 2004 finals, it challenged against Sal-Rei FC and lost both legs, 2–0 in the first and 1–2 in the second, where all the goals were scored, Décio at the sixth minute, then a tiebreaker with Yuri at the 93rd minute and failed to win a national title.

The next two appearances succeeded as far as the semis. When they played in 2007, they placed again in Group B, the first match was a win over Fogo's Vulcânicos the same at the first round as they did three years earlier Académica Praia suffered a loss to Santo Antão North's Rosariense afterwards. Midway in the third round, no goals were scored in a match with Sal's Académico do Aeroporto. The club made two more group stage wins, where they defeated Sporting Porto Novo and Scorpion Vermelho from north of the island. Académica faced a Mindelo affiliate of Académica, no goals were scored as they would lose 1 to nil each leg. Académica returned in 2009, this time they were in Group A, their first match played on 17 May was a win over Santo Antão North's Os Foguetões, then two more wins before a two-goal draw with Sal's Santa Maria was made. Académica did not lost a match at group stage as they defeated São Vicente's most powerful club Mindelense. Académica faced Sporting Port Novo and played the first leg in Porto Novo at Estádio Amílcar Cabral which was the final match played before the opening of a new stadium to the northwest. Académica Praia scored four goals with the first by Niki at the 32nd minute. Académica played its second leg in Várzea where no goals were scored. With 4 goals over 1, they advanced into the finals and face Sporting and brought the rivalry with Sporting brought to a national level. Académica suffered a 2–0 loss to the mighty Sporting Praia, the second leg ended in a goal draw with Body scoring the only goal at the 40th minute, after Académica lost the title to Sporting. Académica's next national appearance will be in April 2018, their first in one of three groups, they will be in Group A alongside Académica affiliate from Santo Antão South, Académica do Porto Novo and Boa Vista's Sport Sal Rei Club (SSRC).

Académica da Praia was the first club to win the Cape Verdean Cup in September 2007 after defeating 3–1 over Académico do Aeroporto.[3] Later in 2009, the club as champion of the South Zone also advanced to the single island competition, as they are now two championships of the island, the edition featured only a single match where the club, winner of the South Zone challenged with Estrela dos Amadores, winner of the North Zone for 2009, Académica Praia won their last championship of all Santiago.

As of 18 December 2016[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player —   Admilson Moreno Cabral —   Ailton Lopes Rodrigues — GK  CPV Aléssio (Alexandre Varela Gonçalves) —   Anildo[lower-alpha 2] da Costa — FW  CPV Bruno Patrick dos Santos Furtado —  CPV Samuel Mascarenhas Cabral —  CPV Evandro Manuel Correia —  CPV Danielson Andrade —  CPV Daric Silva Baessa —  CPV Márcio Delano Varela Coreia —  CPV Delton Tavares — FW  CPV Denane[lower-alpha 3] Barbosa — MF  CPV Diney Samir Lopes —   Keven Semedo Fati —  CPV Aires Sulivandro Fernandes

No. Pos. Nation Player —  CPV Lenine Júnior Gonçalves — MF  CPV Esmael Miranda Lopes —  CPV Elton Djone Marques —  CPV Jacquelino Mendes[lower-alpha 4] — DF  CPV Mika (Mikael Marques Fernandes) —  CPV Victor Hugo Tavares Moreno —   Kevin Antunes Rocha —   Carlos Fortes Rodrigues — MF  GUI Abdoulaye Silla —   Fernando Tavares —  CPV Rui Filipe Faria Tavares — DF  CPV Txabana (Alberto Baessa) —  CPV Paulo Jamir Vieira —   Wagner Rodrigues Andrade