Nublense

Amateur era

Ñublense was formed in 1916 by a group of teenagers (led by Chillán teacher 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 included basketball and boxing. 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 and Arturo Fernández Vial.

Professional era

In 1959, under coach Mario Avedaño, Ñublense for play in the professionalism, and Ñublense entered the Chilean professional league. Under Argentine coach Martín Garcia many young players joined the club, including Universidad de Chile goalkeeper Luis Venzano Justiniano (the first professional football player on the team).

In 1961 (under coach Renato Sánchez Solar) Ñublense signed José Borello, who played for Boca Juniors and the Argentine 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 in Chillán (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 the Primera B (Second Division) and promotion to the Primera División Chilena for 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 over Colo-Colo in a memorable game. Shortly afterwards, the Estadio Municipal de Chillán was renamed Estadio Municipal de Chillán Nelson Oyarzún in the coach's honor.

Decline

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 to segunda and then to Tercera División for 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 defeating San Luis de Quillota 4–2 in the Primera B promotion play-offs. Ñublense performed well in Copa Chile 1995, eliminating Colo-Colo in the quarter-finals but losing to Universidad Católica in the semi-finals.

In 2000, the team was relegated to Tercera; in 2001 it was nearly relegated to the Cuarta División Chilena. With 30 seconds remaining in a game against General Velásquez, Edgardo Medina scored to keep the team in Tercera División.

Since 2000

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 the Primera División Chilena in 2007, finishing ninth. In summer 2008, Fernando Díaz became coach after Marcoleta's departure for Curicó Unido.

Under Díaz in the Torneo de Apertura, Ñublense had their most successful season. The team finished first in the regular season with 41 points, five points clear of Universidad Católica and O'Higgins. Ñublense was eliminated in the play-off semi-finals by Colo-Colo, but its first-place finish in the first round qualified the team for the Copa Sudamericana 2008 for the first time. In this tournament, however, Ñublense was quickly eliminated by Peruvian club Sport Áncash by an aggregate score of 4–1.

Since 2008, the team has fared less well. In the Primera División Chilena 2009 season Ñublense finished 13th in the annual table with 39 points (nearly making the promotion play-offs), and achieved an identical result in 2010.