Académica do Mindelo was founded on April 1, 1940, the first Portuguese based club on the island, it increased to six matches with the semi-finals introduced and the winner would be decided on the number of points.
Mindelense today are the top 5 clubs in Cape Verde, the most popular are Boavista and Sporting Clube da Praia of the Santiago South Zone.
The island league's clubs are Académica Mindelo, Amarante,[3] Batuque, Calhau, Castilho, Corinthians São Vicente, Derby, Falcões do Norte, Farense Mindelense, Ponta d'Pom, Ribeira Bote, Salamansa and São Pedro.
From 1953 to independence, the winner competed in a colonial championship final which was a club from Santiago.
Tennis and badminton has recently increased in popularity in Cape Verde along with the island.
It was the first island in Cape Verde that brought golf, it was introduced at the start of the 20th century during the colonial times.
Cape Verde's first golf course is located around 3 km south of the city center of Mindelo.