Deportes Antofagasta

History

Deportes Antofagasta was founded on 14 May 1966 as Club de Deportes Antofagasta Portuario, created from the merger of amateur clubs Unión Bellavista and Portuario Atacama. The initiative, backed by mayor Juan Floreal Recabarren, aimed to give the city a professional team. Luis Santibáñez became the first manager. In 1968, Antofagasta Portuario won the Segunda División championship by defeating San Luis de Quillota in the final stage, earning promotion to the Primera División and becoming the first club from Chile's Norte Grande to reach the top flight.

The club remained in Primera División for much of the 1970s. It was renamed Club Regional Antofagasta in 1974 and adopted its current name in 1979. After a return to Primera División in 1983 following a 9–0 win over Lota Schwager, the club was relegated in 1984. In 1990, Antofagasta won the Campeonato de Apertura de Segunda División and finished second in the northern promotion group.

Although it placed third in the promotion play-offs, Naval's withdrawal from professional football allowed Antofagasta to enter Primera División for 1991. Under Croatian coach Andrija Perčić, the club qualified for the 1991 Pre-Libertadores play-offs, finishing third. It remained in the top division until relegation in 1997. In 2001, under Luis Marcoleta, the team finished third in Primera B, with Carlos Cáceres as top scorer.

Stadium

Deportes Antofagasta calls the Estadio Regional de Antofagasta home, a venue that belongs to the city’s municipality. Originally intended as a backup site for the 1962 World Cup, the stadium opened on October 8, 1964, where the old Riding Club once stood. Professional football arrived there in 1966, and the club has been based there ever since. When the stadium shut down for renovations in 2007, the team had to find temporary homes. They played at La Pintana against Puerto Montt, in Calama versus Huachipato, in Arica against Lota Schwager, and, until 2013, at the Parque Juan López.

Managers

Deportes Antofagasta has been managed mostly by Chilean coaches, along with several from Argentina, Uruguay, Croatia, Spain, Paraguay and Venezuela. Luis Santibáñez was the first manager, taking charge after the club's foundation in 1966. Francisco Hormazábal, who took over in 1968, led Antofagasta Portuario to the 1968 Segunda División title and promotion, secured with a victory over San Luis de Quillota in January 1969, a match known among supporters as the Quillotazo.

Croatian coach Andrija Perčić was appointed in 1991 on the recommendation of Mirko Jozić and remained until 1995, one of the longest managerial tenures. His period featured strong Primera División campaigns and players such as Marco Cornez, Pedro Reyes and Gabriel Caballero. After Perčić, Mario Páez had several spells in charge during the late 1990s and early 2000s, while José Sulantay, Rogelio Delgado and Luis Marcoleta also managed the club; Marcoleta's first spell ran from 2001 to 2002.

Gustavo Huerta, appointed in 2011, led Antofagasta to the 2011 Primera B Apertura title with a 1–0 win over Everton and then the overall Primera B championship, securing promotion on 6 November with a 2–0 victory over San Luis, finishing with 70 points. Huerta stayed until 2014. Later managers included Jaime Vera, José Cantillana, Spanish coach Beñat San José, Fernando Vergara and Argentine Nicolás Larcamón. In 2018, Gerardo Ameli guided the team to a fourth-place finish in Primera División with 53 points from 30 matches, recording 14 wins and qualifying for the 2019 Copa Sudamericana, the club's first international appearance.