Alfonso Ugarte Chiclín

Foundation

On August 1, 1917, the Alfonso Ugarte Club was founded at Hacienda Chiclín near Trujillo. No one could foretell that this small team would eventually star in a story in the Peruvian amateur football. With the passing of the years his success was made winning the sympathy and commitment of its people.

The Tour

In 1933, the club made its first appearance in Lima, facing Universitario de Deportes at the National Stadium. During that decade, it played several friendly matches in the capital against both domestic and foreign teams. In 1936, it faced the Argentine side Gimnasia y Esgrima de Ciudadela, narrowly losing 3–2. The following year, it drew 4–4 with Audax Italiano of Chile and defeated Brazil’s San Cristóbal 3–2, a team that had previously beaten both Alianza Lima and Universitario.

The nickname “Red Devils” originated on September 23, 1942, when the club defeated Inependiente de Avellaneda, the reigning Argentine champion at the time, by 2–1 in a friendly match played in Trujillo.

Invitation to the First Division

At the beginning of 1966, after being crowned champions of the Liga Distrital de Trujillo, the club received an invitation from the Peruvian Football Federation to participate in the inaugural edition of the Torneo Descentralizado, marking the beginning of the decentralized national championships.

On August 13 of that year, it became the first provincial club to play a match in the Peruvian Primera División, drawing 0–0 against Sporting Cristal. In this first experience in professional football, Alfonso Ugarte de Chiclín finished in 12th place out of 14 teams, and was subsequently required to compete in the Copa Perú, in accordance with the tournament regulations.

First Champion of the Copa Perú

The year following its relegation, the club began its participation in the 1967 Copa Perú by facing Sanjuanista, the departmental champion of La Libertad, whom they eliminated after a three-match series. After successfully advancing through the Regional Stage, the team qualified for the National Stage, whose final round was played in May.

In the final round-robin stage, the club was crowned champion after defeating CNI of Iquitos 3–2 in the last matchday, a result that allowed them to surpass Juan Aurich and Octavio Espinosa in the standings and secure their return to the top division of Peruvian football. The team was coached by Argentine manager Ángel Fernández Roca and usually lined up with Antonio Sanguinetto; Óscar Villalobos, Constante Mendoza, Erasmo Gamboa, Jorge Arce, José “Chicamero” Quispe, José Farías Negrini, José Dioses, Tito Salavarria, Raúl Carrión, Manuel “Meleque” Suárez, and Jorge Quipuzco. Other members of the squad included Carlos Vichera, Pedro Montero, and José Vergel, among others.

However, in the 1967 Torneo Descentralizado, the team failed to replicate its previous success and finished in last place, being relegated once again to the Liga Distrital de Trujillo, where it has remained ever since.

In 1980, after several years playing at the Mansiche Stadium, Alfonso Ugarte once again stood out by facing the departmental champion of Lambayeque, the “Los Aguerridos de Monsefú”, whom they defeated 3–1. The Lambayeque side would later go on to reach the final of that season’s Copa Perú.