Ñublense

Club Deportivo Ñublense(Spanish pronunciation:[ɲuˈβlense]) is a professionalfootballteam based inChillán,Ñuble Region,Chile. The club was formed in 1916 under the name of Liceo Fútbol Club. They compete in Chile'sPrimera Divisiónleague.
Ñublense was formed in 1916 by a group of teenagers (led byChillánteacher Manuel Lara Gutiérrez) who founded a sports club as a haven for sports activities in the city. On 20 August of that year, in the boys' high school the club was called the Liceo Fútbol Club. Other sports sponsored includedbasketballandboxing.The football team played for many years in local leagues, where they were champions for 11 consecutive years (1938–49). Noted players included Eduardo Sanhueza Martín, Candelario Sepúlveda, Tomás Figueroa Bravo, Carlos González Utreras and  Humberto Fagnilli Fuentes (who renamed the club Liceo Ñublense).
On 1942, with Lautaro Vásquez Landa as coach, the team was renamed Club de Deportes Ñublense. It continued in local leagues until 1957, when team president Moisés Noriega Alarcón moved the team to a regional league where it played teams such as Lord Cochrane de Concepción, Universitario, Gente de Mar, Galvarino andArturo Fernández Vial.
In 1959, under coach Mario Avedaño, Ñublense entered the Chilean professional league.Under Argentine coachMartín Garciamany young players joined the club, includingUniversidad de Chilegoalkeeper Luis Venzano Justiniano (the first professional football player on the team).
In 1961 (under coach Renato Sánchez Solar) Ñublense signed José Borello, who played forBoca Juniorsand theArgentine national team. The team finished fourth with such players as Carlos Abel Jarpa Vallejos, Vicente Cox Vial and Luis Fischer, who added stability to the club.For the first two years Ñublense, played in the only paved football field inChillán(the stadium of Seminario School) whilst the grass was sown and the stands and dressing rooms built.
In 1976 the team had one its best seasons (with Pedro Guzmán Alvarez as president and Isaac Carrasco as coach), winning thePrimera B(Second Division) and promotion to thePrimera División Chilenafor 1977. Its second year in the Primera División, Ñublense had its most important coach in team history (Nelson Oyarzún Arenas, nicknamed "Consommé" because he required his players to drink consommé after games), who won the fans' respect. On 10 September 1978, Nelson Oyarzún died of cancer; that afternoon, Ñublense won 2–1 overColo-Coloin a memorable game. Shortly afterwards, the Estadio Municipal de Chillán was renamed Estadio Municipal de Chillán Nelson Oyarzún in the coach's honor.
In 1979, with Hernan Godoy as the coach, Ñublense was relegated to Primera B. However, a year later the club was again promoted to Primera División. The joy was short-lived, though; the team was again relegated tosegundaand then toTercera Divisiónfor three years. Amidst financial problems, the team was renamed Ñuble Unido.
In 1985, under Esaú Bravo, the undefeated team won the Tercera División title and promotion to Primera B. Héctor Canahuete restructured the team's debt and recovered the name Ñublense. In 1991, during a lockout, the team was again relegated to Tercera División.
In 1992, Esaú Bravo returned to the Ñublense bench for its promotion to Primera B after defeatingSan Luis de Quillota4–2 in the Primera B promotion play-offs. Ñublense performed well inCopa Chile 1995, eliminatingColo-Coloin the quarter-finals but losing toUniversidad Católicain the semi-finals.
In 2000, the team was relegated to Tercera; in 2001 it was nearly relegated to theCuarta División Chilena.  With 30 seconds remaining in a game againstGeneral Velásquez, Edgardo Medina scored to keep the team in Tercera División.
Former sportscaster Sergio Zarzar acquired the club in 2004; that year, it was promoted to the Primera B after winning the Tercera División title under coach Luis Marcoleta.
Ñublense was runner-up in the Primera B in 2006 and returned to thePrimera División Chilenain 2007, finishing ninth. In summer 2008,Fernando Díazbecame coach after Marcoleta's departure forCuricó Unido.
Under Díaz in theTorneo de Apertura, Ñublense had their most successful season. The team finished first in the regular season with 41 points, five points clear ofUniversidad CatólicaandO'Higgins. Ñublense was eliminated in the play-off semi-finals byColo-Colo, but its first-place finish in the first round qualified the team for theCopa Sudamericana 2008for the first time. In this tournament, however, Ñublense was quickly eliminated by Peruvian clubSport Áncashby an aggregate score of 4–1.
Since 2008, the team has fared less well. In thePrimera División Chilena 2009season Ñublense finished 13th in the annual table with 39 points (nearly making the promotion play-offs), and achieved an identical result in2010.
Estadio Municipal de Chillán Nelson Oyarzún Arenas, home to the Ñublense club, is named after Nelson Oyarzún Arenas, a Ñublense coach. It was opened in 1961 and has a capacity of 12,000. In 2007, the stadium was selected as a venue for the2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. To comply with FIFA standards it was demolished and rebuilt (with the direction the pitch is facing altered), its capacity was decreased from 17,500 to 12,000 and a roof covering all seats was built. The renovation of the stadium cost 12 billionpesos($26 million).The stadium was re-dedicated on 2 November 2008, with former Chilean presidentMichelle Bacheletin attendance.On 27 February 2010, during the2010 Chile earthquake, much damage occurred to the stadium; nearly the entire Pacific gallery collapsed.
In 2007, Ñublense had the fourth-highest average attendance in theTorneo de Apertura de Chile 2007behind the "three giants of Chile":Universidad de Chile,Universidad CatólicaandColo-Colo. Ñublense's fans are known as "red devils" or "reds" (the same color asPremier LeagueteamManchester United) or "LaLonganizaMécanica" ("The Clockwork Longaniza"). These nicknames arose after the successful 2008 season when Ñublense first qualified for theTorneo de Apertura de Chile 2008play-offs and theCopa Sudamericana 2008. That season, the team was frequently compared with Manchester United. Ñublense's record attendance was on 21 May 2008, when 18,487 fans attended the second leg of the semi-finals of the Torneo de Apertura de 2008 against Colo-Colo at theEstadio Municipal de Concepción.Curicó Unido,Deportes Concepción,Universidad de ConcepciónandUniversidad Católicaare unofficial rivals of the team.
Current squad of Ñublense as of October 2024 
(edit)Sources:ANFP Official Web Site
Manager:Mario Salas
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.