Nickname(s):El León de Collao(The Lion of Collao), Lilas(The Lilacs),El Conce (The Conce)
Founded:1966
Stadium:Estadio Municipal Alcaldesa Ester Roa Rebolledo
Capacity:30,448
1999-2016
2016-Present
Deportivo Concepción Crest History
The crest history of Deportes Concepción is dominated by two symbols that express the club's identity: the traditional purple colour and the lion. Purple has represented the club since its foundation in 1966, giving rise to the nickname Lilas,The Lilacs, while the lion reflects the famous nickname El León de Collao, The Lion of Collao.
The 1999–2016 crest used a circular design. A broad purple outer ring contained the words DEPORTES CONCEPCIÓN in large white capital letters, with two small white circles separating the name on either side.
At the centre of the badge was the head of a lion, depicted in profile with a large mane. The illustration combined purple with golden-orange details, allowing the animal to stand out strongly against the white background.
The lion had already become one of the club's most recognisable symbols. Its presence represented El León de Collao, a nickname connected with Deportes Concepción's traditional home in the Collao area of the city.
Behind the lion was a subtle geometric pattern resembling the panels of a football. This provided a direct reference to the sport without distracting from the central animal symbol.
The overall design was relatively simple: a circular football badge built around the club's name, colours and nickname. During its long period of use, the lion crest became strongly associated with Deportes Concepción both in Chilean professional football and among the club's supporters.
In 2016, Deportes Concepción introduced a radically different crest. The circular badge and realistic lion disappeared, replaced by a more traditional heraldic shield.
Purple remained the dominant colour, preserving the most important visual link with the club's historical identity. DEPORTES appears across the upper section in white capital letters, while CONCEPCIÓN curves around the lower part of the shield.
At the centre is a smaller golden shield containing a black double-headed eagle. This imagery is derived from the historic coat of arms of the city of Concepción, shifting the emphasis of the badge from the club's lion nickname towards the heraldic identity of its home city.
The double-headed eagle gives the modern crest a much more traditional and civic appearance than its predecessor. Rather than simply representing the football team, the badge establishes a direct visual connection between Deportes Concepción and the city whose name it carries.
Surrounding the central shield are several smaller decorative elements, including gold stars and floral motifs. These details further reinforce the heraldic character of the design and distinguish it sharply from the minimalist circular badge used before 2016.
A small crescent-shaped element appears beneath the central shield, completing the symmetrical arrangement of the modern emblem.
The timing of the redesign was particularly significant. 2016 marked the club's 50th anniversary, but it was also one of the most difficult moments in Deportes Concepción's history, when the club was expelled from Chile's professional competitions amid severe financial and administrative problems.
Deportivo Concepción Club History
Club Social y de Deportes Concepción was founded on 15 April 1966 in the city of Concepción, one of the principal urban and industrial centres of southern Chile. The club was created to provide the city with a strong representative in national professional football and quickly became one of the most recognisable teams outside Santiago.
Deportes Concepción adopted the distinctive colour purple, or lila, from its earliest years. This unusual colour became central to the club's identity and produced the nickname Lilas — The Lilacs. The club also became known as El León de Collao — The Lion of Collao, referring to the Collao district where its home stadium is located.
The club entered Chilean professional football in the Segunda División and made remarkably rapid progress. In 1967, only a year after its foundation, Deportes Concepción earned promotion to the Primera División, beginning a long association with the highest level of Chilean football.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, Deportes Concepción established itself as an important regional force. Although it lacked the financial strength of the major Santiago clubs, strong home support and its position as a representative of the Biobío Region helped the club develop a substantial following.
One of the club's early highlights came in 1970, when Deportes Concepción produced an excellent league campaign and qualified for the Copa Libertadores. The achievement gave the relatively young club its first opportunity to represent Chile in South America's most prestigious club competition.
Deportes Concepción participated in the 1971 Copa Libertadores, facing international opposition only five years after the club had been founded. The campaign was an important milestone and established the Lilas beyond the domestic game.
The following decades brought the pattern that would characterise much of Deportes Concepción's history: periods of success in the Primera División followed by relegation and subsequent attempts to return to the top level.
Despite these fluctuations, Deportes Concepción became one of southern Chile's traditional professional clubs. Its large supporter base and the atmosphere generated at home matches helped create the enduring image of the León de Collao.
The club's principal home became the Estadio Municipal de Concepción, located in the Collao sector of the city. The stadium later became known as the Estadio Municipal Alcaldesa Ester Roa Rebolledo and developed into one of Chile's largest and most important football venues.
The stadium has hosted major domestic and international events, including matches involving the Chilean national team. It was extensively modernised ahead of the 2015 Copa América, further strengthening its position as one of the principal stadiums outside Santiago.
Deportes Concepción experienced another important period during the 1990s. After returning to the Primera División, the club again established itself among Chile's stronger provincial teams and began competing for qualification to international tournaments.
The beginning of the twenty-first century produced one of the finest periods in the club's history. Deportes Concepción qualified for the 2001 Copa Libertadores, returning to South America's premier club competition three decades after its first appearance.
The Lilas produced a memorable Libertadores campaign, advancing beyond the group stage and reaching the Round of 16. The run remains one of the most significant international achievements in Deportes Concepción's history.
The club also appeared in the Copa Sudamericana, adding further continental experience and strengthening its reputation as one of the historically important clubs from southern Chile.
However, sporting achievements increasingly became overshadowed by serious financial and administrative difficulties. Maintaining a competitive professional team proved challenging, and debts accumulated during the following years.
The problems eventually resulted in Deportes Concepción being relegated from the Primera División and competing in the lower levels of Chilean football. Despite these difficulties, the club retained a loyal supporter base that continued to identify strongly with the purple colours and the León de Collao identity.
The crisis reached its most serious point in 2016. After prolonged financial problems and unpaid obligations, Deportes Concepción was disaffiliated from the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP), effectively removing the club from Chile's professional league system.
The decision came during the year of the club's 50th anniversary and represented one of the darkest moments in its history. A club that had played in the Primera División and Copa Libertadores was suddenly without a place in professional football.
Supporters played an important role in keeping the identity of Deportes Concepción alive. Rather than allowing the historic institution to disappear, efforts were made to reorganise the club and rebuild it from the amateur levels of the Chilean football pyramid.
Deportes Concepción subsequently entered Tercera B, deep within the country's amateur system. The rebuilding process was difficult, but it also strengthened the relationship between the club and its supporters.
Progress followed relatively quickly. The Lilas climbed through Tercera B and Tercera A, eventually earning their way back into the professional structure and returning to the Segunda División Profesional.
The recovery became one of the most important chapters in the modern history of Deportes Concepción. Instead of returning through an administrative shortcut, the club had worked its way back through the lower divisions after the institutional collapse of 2016.
Another major breakthrough came in 2024, when Deportes Concepción secured promotion from the Segunda División Profesional, earning a return to Primera B for the 2025 season. It marked the club's return to Chile's second tier after nearly a decade of reconstruction.
The comeback carried considerable symbolic importance for supporters. Deportes Concepción had progressed from disaffiliation and amateur football back toward the upper levels of the national game while preserving its historic name, purple colours and regional identity.
The club's strongest traditional rivalry is with Fernández Vial, another historic team from Concepción. Matches between the two form one of the city's principal football rivalries, contrasting two clubs with deeply rooted supporter cultures.
Encounters with Huachipato, from nearby Talcahuano, also carry major regional significance. Together, Deportes Concepción, Fernández Vial and Huachipato have represented different traditions within the football culture of the Greater Concepción area.
