Associação Académica da Praia is a football club that plays in the Premier division of the Santiago Island League (South) in Cape Verde.

[1] It is played along with Praia's three other famous teams in Estádio da Varzea, the club also practices at the stadium and over a kilometer east in Achada Grande Frente (or Leite).

Its current president is Kiki and manager is Janito Carvalho who coached Sporting Praia in the previous season.

Later, the team won the 1968 Santiago regional title at the time included other islands after beating Os Garridos a gigantic 21–0, 9 of which were scored by Luís Bastos.

Two years later, Académica won their third regional title for the island and participated at the national championships where they failed to proceed into the upper stages.

Académica did way better for the 2003–04 season, they won their fourth regional title, also it was their first title for the South Zone in 2004 and finished with 45 points a club record, it was also the regional and national record held it until Sporting took it in 2005 with 49, also they finished with 14 wins, its wins were a club record, in points total, it stood as a club record from 2005 until 2018.. Académica was runner-up for the next two seasons, 43 points they finished and another season with 14 wins, their third one had 39 points, as Sporting won the 2006 national title, the club entered for the 2007 nationals.

Académica made a goal draw with Ribeira Grande, they suffered a 2–0 loss in their rivalry to 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

The club made two more group stage wins, where they defeated Sporting Porto Novo and Scorpion Vermelho from north of the island.

Académica did not lost a match at group stage as they defeated São Vicente's most powerful club Mindelense.

Académica da Praia was the first club to win the Cape Verdean Cup in September 2007 after defeating 3–1 over Académico do Aeroporto.

The stadium has seat rows in the left and right sides and a small hill and a plateau lies to the west.

The club practices also at the stadium and at Sucupira just in the northwest corner of the intersection with Rua da Várzea.

As of the end of the 2017–18 season Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.