Real Cundinamarca
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| Full name | Real Cundinamarca | |||
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| Founded | 10 July 2023 as Real Soacha Cundinamarca | |||
| Ground | Parque Estadio Olaya Herrera | |||
| Capacity | 2,500 | |||
| Chairman | Nicolás Baena | |||
| Manager | Julián Barragán | |||
| League | Categoría Primera B | |||
| 2023 | Primera B, 11th of 16 | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Real Cundinamarca, known from July 2023 to January 2024 as Real Soacha Cundinamarca, is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that plays in the Categoría Primera B, the second tier of Colombian professional football starting from 2023. Founded on 10 July 2023, they play their home games at the Parque Estadio Olaya Herrera, moving there in 2024 after playing at Estadio Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento in Soacha for their first six months of existence.
History[edit]
Real Soacha Cundinamarca was founded by the owners of former Categoría Primera B club Valledupar F.C., who on 22 June 2023 voted to move the club from Valledupar to Soacha due to the lack of support from both the local government and private enterprises in the former city.[1] The move was greenlit by the División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (Dimayor) at a General Assembly session of the entity held on 6 July 2023.[2]
The club was officially presented by the local government of Soacha at a press conference held on 10 July 2023,[3] and played its first match in the 2023 Categoría Primera B season on 23 July 2023, hosting Cortuluá in a game that ended in a scoreless draw.[4][5] In its first participation in the Primera B, the 2023–II tournament, the team placed second from bottom with 14 points in 16 matches, only winning 2 of those games.
The electoral victory of Julián Sánchez as mayor of Soacha, who announced that financial support to Real Soacha Cundinamarca would be cut and it would be sent back to Valledupar starting from 1 January 2024,[6] meant that the club was forced to leave Soacha at the end of 2023. On 24 January 2024, the rebranding of the club to Real Cundinamarca and its relocation to Bogotá was confirmed and approved at the General Assembly of Dimayor.[7][8]
Stadium[edit]
In 2023, the club played its home matches at Estadio Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento in Soacha, which has a capacity of 7,000 people.[4] According to the then mayor of Soacha, Juan Carlos Saldarriaga, a 4 billion COP (approximately US$ 977,000) investment had been made in order to enable the stadium to host professional football games.[3] For 2024, they moved to Parque Estadio Olaya Herrera in Bogotá, with a capacity of 2,500 spectators.[7]
Current squad[edit]
- As of 15 April 2024[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References[edit]
- ^ "Valledupar FC se despidió: adiós a 20 años de historia" [Valledupar FC bidded farewell: goodbye to 20 years of history] (in Spanish). El Pilón. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "¡Es un hecho! Soacha será la casa de un equipo de fútbol masculino" [It's a fact! Soacha will be the home of a men's football team] (in Spanish). Periodismo Público. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Valledupar FC se despide para darle paso a Real Soacha en la B" [Valledupar FC bids farewell to make way for Real Soacha in the B] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ a b Figueroa, Michell (11 July 2023). "Soacha tendrá equipo en el Fútbol Profesional Colombiano con un particular nombre" [Soacha will have a team in Colombian Professional Football with a particular name] (in Spanish). Infobae. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Real Soacha debutó ante más de 7.000 soachunos ¿Cómo le fue contra el Cortuluá?" [Real Soacha made their debut in front of more than 7,000 soachunos. How did it go against Cortuluá?] (in Spanish). Tendencia Social. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ ""Desde el primero de enero, Valledupar Fútbol Club se regresa pa Valledupar": alcalde electo de Soacha" [From January 1st, Valledupar Fútbol Club returns to Valledupar": elected mayor of Soacha] (in Spanish). El Pilón. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Siguen los cambios en el FPC: otro equipo modificó su nombre" [The changes in the FPC continue: another team changed its name] (in Spanish). Futbolred. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "¡Claro como el agua! Dimayor y la aprobación de Alianza FC en Valledupar" [Clear as water! Dimayor and the approval of Alianza FC in Valledupar] (in Spanish). Win Sports. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "REAL CUNDINAMARCA". Dimayor. Retrieved 26 July 2023.