San Luis

Foundation and amateur era

San Luis was founded on 8 December 1919 in a classroom of the Instituto Quillota, later renamed Instituto Rafael Ariztía. A group of students and former students of the school, assisted by its Marist director Louis André Tiron, established the club under the name Ex Alumnos del Instituto Quillota Football Club.

On 4 January 1921, the institution adopted the name San Luis Football Club in honour of Tiron, who was being transferred by the Marist congregation to a school in Callao, Peru. The football section was reorganised later that year and entered the Liga de Football de Quillota in 1922. San Luis won the league's second division in its first season and was promoted to the local top division.

During the following decades, the club competed primarily in the Quillota association. It won several local championships, including league titles during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, before seeking admission to the national professional structure.

Entry into professional football

San Luis entered the professional Segunda División in 1953. After finishing sixth in its first season and fourth in 1954, the club won the 1955 Segunda División, finishing ahead of local rivals Unión La Calera and earning promotion to the Primera División for the first time.

San Luis made its top-flight debut in 1956. In the following season, it initially finished third in the standings, but was deducted 13 points because of an irregularity in the registration of player Juan José Negri, resulting in relegation. The club immediately recovered its place in the Primera División by winning the 1958 Segunda División championship. It subsequently remained in the top flight until its relegation at the end of the 1967 season.

After thirteen seasons in the second tier, San Luis won the Segunda División again in 1980. The club secured promotion with four matches remaining after defeating Unión La Calera 3–1 in Quillota, and finished the championship with 59 points. That year San Luis also won the Campeonato de Apertura de Segunda División, known through its sponsorship as the Polla Gol tournament.

The team included players such as Patricio Yáñez, Víctor Cabrera and Jorge Muñoz. Yáñez became a Chile international while playing for San Luis and later represented the national team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

San Luis returned to the Primera División for the 1981 season but was relegated that year. It earned another promotion after finishing runner-up in the 1983 Segunda División and remained in the top flight from 1984 until 1987.

Tercera División

Following relegation from the Primera División in 1987, San Luis later dropped from the second tier in 1990 and entered the Tercera División. The club remained outside professional football for thirteen seasons.

San Luis won the 2003 Tercera División under coach Mauricio Riffo. The title was secured on 14 December after a 1–0 away victory over Iberia in Los Ángeles, allowing the club to return to the professional divisions for the 2004 season. The 2003 squad included Humberto Suazo, who scored 39 goals during the campaign before later establishing himself with the Chile national team and clubs in Chile, Mexico and Spain.

Return to profesionalism

After several seasons in Primera B, San Luis won the 2009 Clausura tournament and subsequently contested the promotion play-offs. The club first lost the second-promotion final to Santiago Wanderers, which left it to face Primera División side Curicó Unido in the promotion/relegation play-off.

San Luis lost the first leg 2–1 but won the return match 3–0 on 6 December 2009 at the Estadio Jorge Silva Valenzuela in San Fernando. Goals from Fernando Alves Machado, Alexis Flores and Bryan Danessi gave San Luis a 4–2 aggregate victory and returned the club to the Primera División after 22 years.

The club's return to the top division was brief. San Luis finished last in the 2010 Primera División and was relegated to Primera B after one season.

San Luis won the Apertura tournament of the 2013–14 Primera B season. The result qualified the club for the post-season play-offs for promotion, where it defeated Coquimbo Unido before facing Barnechea in the final. The two-legged tie ended 1–1 on aggregate, and Barnechea won the penalty shoot-out 4–3, leaving San Luis in the second division.

For the 2014–15 season, former San Luis player Víctor Rivero was appointed head coach. The team led the championship and secured both the title and promotion on 2 May 2015 with a 1–0 home victory over Lota Schwager, Rafael Viotti scoring the only goal. San Luis finished the campaign nine points ahead of second-placed Unión San Felipe.

San Luis returned to the Primera División for the 2015–16 season. After a difficult Apertura tournament, Argentine coach Mario Sciacqua was replaced by Miguel Ramírez. The club subsequently avoided relegation and remained in the top flight through the following seasons.

During the 2018 championship, San Luis remained near the bottom of the standings. Ramírez left during the season and was replaced by Diego Osella, with Mauricio Riffo later taking charge for the final matches. On 25 November 2018, a defeat to Universidad de Concepción mathematically confirmed San Luis' relegation with one round remaining.

San Luis has competed in Primera B since the 2019 season. As of 2026, the club continues to participate in the second tier of Chilean football.