Colo-Colo is the most popular football club in Chile and though its supporters can be found in volumes through all socioeconomic strata, it has been traditionally linked to the working class. Sporting achievements since its foundation in 1925 and specially the death of its captain and founder David Arellano in 1927 gave Colo-Colo a huge fan base.
However, since the 60's, its once unrivaled supremacy has been put to test with the up-rise of Universidad de Chile and its long-remembered Ballet Azul team. Representing varsity values and the middle class, Universidad de Chile has seen an increase in its popularity, with who take pride in their fidelity, having endured long droughts without trophies and even relegation from the top tier.
According to some professionals related to the design and operation of this type of works, a stadium of its own generates a social, economic, architectural and cultural impact, and is a testimony of both the evolution and performance of a sports club. Colo-Colo has been the owner of two venues: The Carabineros Stadium and the Monumental. After decades of fundraising and preliminary openings, the Monumental reopened on September 30, 1989, with its facilities as its regular headquarters since that date. It has a capacity of 43,667 spectators and has been the scene of the finals of the 1991 Copa Libertadores, the 1992 Copa Interamericana and the 2015 Copa América.
