[7][8] The club was founded in 2007,[9][10] with the objective of providing a platform for the young aspiring footballers from the city to showcase their talent and to try to make it to the big stage.

[11] The team then started making some major signings in Indian internationals, and were carried in various tournaments by Pepsi Itmaizah Abhishek Yadav, Khalid Jamil,[23] Noel Wilson, and Kalyan Chaubey along with potential youngsters Dane Pereira and Darren Caldeira.

[11][24] The club was placed in Group B with Mohammedan, Indian Bank, Amity United, Oil India, and New Delhi Heroes.

[25] Mumbai then completed a double against the two giant Kolkata clubs after they defeated East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium 1–0 with Felix Aboagye scoring the only goal.

[30] The squad consisted of a strong base of Mumbai-based players like Dane Pereira, Ashutosh Mehta, Jayesh Rane, John Coutinho, Rahul Bheke, Collin Abranches, Abhishek Yadav, Rohit Mirza, Cletus Paul, Allan Dias and Paresh Shivalkar.

The club started the season in the best possible form blowing away all teams and building an unassailable lead in the MDFA Elite League.

The club was pit in Group A alongside Dempo SC, East Bengal, Sporting Clube de Goa and Royal Wahingdoh.

A solitary Samapth Kutty Mani goal in the 1–0 win against Sporting Goa gave Mumbai a glimmer of hope to qualify for the semi-finals.

Mumbai took advantage of getting back at the Cooperage and went on to win two straight home games by thrashing Goan giants Salgaocar 3–0 and then on 20 February 2015 defeating the then league leaders Royal Wahingdoh 2–1.

[32] The next match against Bengaluru at the Cooperage ended in a 1–1 draw as an equalizer in the second-half from the in-form Mumbai striker Josimar rescued a point for the Mumbaikars.

Khalid Jamil ensured Mumbai survived relegation that season as they finished 6th in the I-League with 24 points in 20 league matches.

[35] In July 2016, Mumbai roped in former Royal Wahingdoh and Salgaocar FC manager Santosh Kashyap as their head soach.

In March 2017, Mumbai FC roped in Spaniard Óscar Bruzón as their new head coach,[36] and signed Trinidadian and Tobago international Densill Theobald as marquee player, who represented his nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Just when fans started coming to the stadium in large numbers for the I-League games, Mumbai FC got relegated and the city didn't have a team in the league anymore", Sen said.

[53][54][55] From 2011–12 onwards till 2013–14,[56] the club along with local rivals Air India played their home fixtures at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune.

[60] During the 2010–11 I-League season, Rajarshi Shahu Stadium in Kolhapur, hosted numerous matches of Mumbai teams due to unavailability of Cooperage Ground.

[65] World Cup player Foreign internationals A recognised fan club by the name "Yellow Brigade" had been in support for the Mumbaikars from 2015 until the withdrawal of senior team in 2017.

The club operated its U19 youth men's section (known as Mumbai FC Colts),[101] that participated in Hero U19 I-League.