Unión La Calera
| Full name | Club Deportivo Unión La Calera | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Cementeros (Cement Men) Rojos (Reds) | ||
| Founded | January 26, 1954 | ||
| Ground | Estadio Municipal Nicolás Chahuán, La Calera, Chile | ||
| Capacity | 9,200 | ||
| Chairman | Gustavo Cerioni | ||
| Manager | Walter Lemma | ||
| League | Primera División | ||
| 2024 | Primera División, 11th of 16 | ||
| Website | ulc | ||
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Unión La Calera is a Chilean football club based in La Calera, Chile. The club competes in the Primera División de Chile.
It was founded as Club de Deportes La Calera on 26 January 1954, after the merger of three teams from the city: Condor, Calera Comercio and Tifón. The following year, Deportes La Calera joined Club de Deportes Melón (originated by the merger between Cemento Melón and Minas Navío) to form Unión La Calera.
After spending 6 seasons in the second division, the club obtained its first promotion to Primera División de Chile in 1961, where they remained until 1974. In 1985, they returned to top-tier, but they were relegated the incoming season. From there, they wandered through second division and third division, until returning to the top category in 2011, and in 2018, after a brief stint in the promotion division (Primera B). Unión La Calera has won three second division titles (the 1961 and 1984 Segunda División de Chile titles; and a 2017 Primera B title) and two Tercera División de Chile honors (1990 and 2000).
The color that identifies the club is red (present in their uniform since the formation as Union La Calera) and disputes their home games at the Estadio Municipal Nicolás Chahuán Nazar. Nevertheless, due to its reconstruction, around 2017 and 2018 they moved to Estadio Municipal Lucio Fariña Fernández in neighboring Quillota (which has a capacity for 7703 spectators). Their main local rivals are San Luis de Quillota.
The club is well known for be the team when Sergio Jadue began his sports manager career before coming to power in the ANFP in 2011. He assumed Unión La Calera Corporation's presidency in 2007. In June 2009 he was appointed Club's President of the Board. During his management, Unión La Calera was promoted, after 26 years, to top-tier in 2010. After his departure, the team had a brief success in 2011's first part, reaching the Torneo Apertura's semi-final. In that tournament, highlighted players like Ramón Ignacio Fernández, Braian Rodríguez or Gonzalo Barriga.