Unión Lara S.C.
Unión Lara Sport Club (Originally Union Lara Soccer Club) is a Venezuelan football team based in Barquisimeto, Lara State. Founded in 1999, it currently plays in Tercera División Venezolana, holding home games at the Farid Richa Stadium, with a capacity of 12,480 seats.
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| Full name | Unión Lara Sport Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | El equipo del Barrio La máquina Roja | ||
| Founded | 1999 | ||
| Ground | Estadio Farid Richa Barquisimeto, Venezuela | ||
| Capacity | 12,480 | ||
| Chairman | Wilfredo Sanchez | ||
| Manager | Jorge Aguero | ||
| League | Tercera División Venezolana | ||
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History
The Union Lara FC, had its first game in the Copa República Bolivariana de Venezuela (2000) against Caracas Fútbol Club.
The club took part in the Second Venezuelan Division 2003/04 where it was the champion of the 'Apertura Tournament' and played the final with Union Deportivo Marítimo, which would retain the title, when losing in regulation time by penalties 4–1, after which the global result finished 2–2, remaining one more season in the category of silver of the Venezuelan football.
The 2004–2005 season of the Second Division of Venezuela began with the 'Apertura Tournament', where the Larense team achieves a total of 35 units in 20 games played. For the 'Closing Tournament', it finished in 2nd place with 42 points, 5 less than the champion of the season Aragua Fútbol Club, remaining in the Second Division of Venezuela one more season.
The Second Venezuelan Division 2005/06 started with the '2005 Apertura Tournament', where Unión Lara is part of the Central-Eastern Group, where it manages to be 4th with 25 points, 6 victories, 7 draws and a single defeat throughout the semester, which allows him to advance to the 'Closing Tournament 2006' where he fought for the promotion to the First Division of Venezuela. In the 'Closing Tournament 2006', "The Neighborhood Team" is really close to the long-awaited promotion, finishing the tournament in the third box, with 37 points, one less than the promoted Portuguesa Fútbol Club and Zamora Fútbol Club.
Before the start of the Copa América 2007, the FVF makes the decision to expand both the First Division of Venezuela and the Second Division of Venezuela, and as a result of this, the Larense team manages to play in the top category for the 2007–2008 season. the First Venezuelan Division 2007/08 started with the 'Opening Apertura 2007', of national scope, where Union Lara only achieves 3 victories in all the semester and ends penultimate with 14 points, only surpassing Red Star FC. For the 'Closing Tournament 2008' , the situation would be practically the same: penultimate in the standings with 14 points again, and a total of 9 losses in the entire tournament. It would be last in the accumulated Table of the Season, with which it descends to the Second Division of Venezuela for the following season.
The Second Venezuelan Division 2008/09 started with the 'Opening Apertura 2008', where the team finished 11th in the tournament, achieving a total of 18 points in 15 contested matches. For the 'Clausura 2009', they would achieve a total of 5 wins and add 17 units, to finish eleventh again. In the Accumulated Table of the season, it culminated in the tenth box.
For the Second Venezuelan Division 2009/10 an ambitious project merges between three Larense's teams, namely: 'Unión Lara FC', Lara FC Police and UCLA FC which joined together to form the revival of Lara Fútbol Club, a team with a long history as the first non-capital national champion in 1965, the first Larense champion in the top category and for participating in the Copa Libertadores of 1966; (The Lara Fútbol Club remained in the silver category, even came to play the Ascent Tournament in the Second Venezuelan Division 2011/12, before the economic problems led to its disappearance). As the reborn Lara Fútbol Club played in the Segunda División Venezolana 2009/10 with the quota of Lara FC Police, the quota left by Unión Lara was occupied by the Club Deportivo San Antonio, the Larense image disappearing due to the aforementioned merger.
Rebirth of the Union
For the 2012–2013 Tournament and after many rumors, the Lara Union squad is reborn, now with the Sport Club name, which participates in the Third Division of Venezuela. The 2012–2013 season of the Third Division (Third Venezuelan Division 2012/13) began with the '2012 Apertura Tournament', where the Larense squad takes part of the Central Group II, in which it ends 3rd.with a total of 11 points, 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, having to play for staying in the category in the following semester of the season. The next tournament of the season, is the 'Clausura 2013' where the teams that did not manage to qualify for the '2013 Promotion and Permanence Tournament' and those teams and institutions that wish to enter the category, participate commonly called "aspirants". The team is part of the Central-Western Group, where they finish last in the group with only 6 points and only one victory in the entire semester.
For the Third Venezuelan Division 2013/14, it is part of the Central Group II of the 'Opening 2013', where it managed to add a total of 13 units, classifying the next tournament of the season as one of the best third places. The club took part in the Central Group of the 'Tournament of Promotion and Permanence 2014', a tight group that was decided at the last day, where the Larense team managed to finish in second place with 23 units and a total of 7 victories throughout the semester, thus achieving promotion to the Second Division of Venezuela for the following season.
Name changes
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Club information
- 'Seasons in 1st' : 1 (07-08)
- 'Seasons in 2nd' : 5 (03-04, 04-05, 05-06, 06-07, 08-09)
- 'Seasons in 3rd' : 3 (12–13, 13–14, 14–15, 15–16)
Stadium
The Farid Richa Stadium is a football stadium located in the capital city of Lara State, Barquisimeto, in the center of Venezuela, it is the headquarters of the local football team of the first division 'Unión Lara Sport Club' and two other teams (Unión Deportiva Lara and Lara Fútbol Club Police), was baptized with that name in homage to a prominent player of origin Lebanese Farid Richa, was reopened in 2001, and has a capacity of approximately 12,480 spectators.