Foundation and early years

Once Municipal was founded on 20 August 1945 by Salvador Marinero, who arrived in Ahuachapán from San Vicente in 1946. He was the owner of a factory in Ahuachapán. After discussing the venture with his neighbors, he put together a football team to play in El Salvador's second division.

After a year of managing the team, Marinero asked Don Alfonso Salaverría, a property tycoon and the mayor of Ahuachapán, to help the team with equipment, finances, and logistics. Salaverría accepted Marinero's invitation, but wanted to see the team play first. Salaverría observed a practice at Llano del Espino, a field on the outskirts of the city where the team was based, but was unimpressed with the quality of the players. He issued instructions for Once Municipal to be reinforced with second division players such as defender René "Chacuate" Moscoso, a shoemaker. Salaverría signed Moscoso despite Marinero's protests against Moscoso's young age.

The club was officially founded after Salaverría gave the team one colon for player wages. It played its first game in August 1946 against Ferrocarril, which Once won 3–1. Their first season was a success, finishing second on the league standings.

1948–49: First national league title

In 1948, the team was promoted to the Primera Division, the highest league in El Salvadorian football. Due to the team's successful previous seasons, Salaverría began recruiting more players and staff, including two Costa Ricans (the first to play in Salvadoran football) and coach Armando Chacón of FAS for the 1948–49 season. The team's first season in Primera Division was a success, with Once Municipal finishing first in the national tournament and winning a title.

1950s–1960s: After the title

After the club won the national title, the players demanded more money. As Salaverría couldn't afford to keep paying large player salaries, a large exodus of players began in the "First Canary Leak", most leaving for other first division teams and the newly founded Atlético Marte. In the 1950–51 season, the club was punished with demotion to the fourth division for not paying its players. When the club regrouped financially, it quickly rose through the leagues, again achieving qualification to Primera Division in 1955. However, more financial problems led Salaverría to sell Once Municipal's 1959 Primera Division spot to Atlético Constancia (later Alianza F.C.) for one colon.

Once Municipal was promoted again to the first division in 1963, where it led an average performance as a midtable team. However, another fiasco arose in 1969–70 when players and management once again disagreed on wages, leading to a large exodus of players and the relegation of the club.

1970s: Second ascent

In the 1970s, Once Municipal management decided to try to secure the team its own field. They turned to Arturo Simeón Magaña, the landowner of the area around El Zapotón, the field where Once Municipal played. Simeón Magaña decided to donate the land to the team on the condition that the team "would be the pride of Ahuachapán".

With a new stadium, Once Municipal became a dominant team in the 1970s. Although they were not able to win any titles, they finished at the top of the table in 1978 and 1979.

1980s–1990s: Sharp decline

In 1980, Once Municipal was again relegated, this time for poor performance in the league. The club remained in Second Division for the next fifteen years, and was even briefly demoted to Third Division in 1993.

2004–2006: League and cup double

The controversial Adalid Magaña took over the team in 1999 to save it from financial crisis.

Once was not a favorite to be promoted the Primera circuit in 2004. Financial problems continued to plague the team and many worried that it would go bankrupt. The Once Lobos were the firm candidate in the league to gain direct promotion and had experienced players such as Memo Rivera and William Renderos, as well as Edwin Portillo as a coach. However, Once Municipal won 3–2 on the afternoon of 22 May 2004 in an unexpected upset against the Lobos at Estadio Cuscatlán with a hat trick by Colombian Víctor Jaramillo that solidified Once's place at the top of the Segunda Division and its place in the Primera Division the next season, returning to the top tier for the first time in 25 years.^[1]

In 2006, the club had its most successful period ever under Nelson Mauricio Ancheta, who filled the roster with players released by more prominent teams. The club won its first Copa Presidente with a 1–0 victory over C.D. Águila on 22 November, giving the club its second ever title. Once also won the grand final of the 2006 Apertura Tournament on 17 December against C.D. FAS. Although they began trailing in the scoreline with an own goal by Nelson Nerio, Once equalised with seven minutes remaining, which sent the game into overtime, where Once were able to score two more goals and win 3–1, to clinch the club's second league title and third overall title while completing a league and cup double.

2007–2014: Promotions and relegations

In 2008, the team was once again relegated to the Second Division due to poor management, coaching errors and the underperformance of high-earning players.

In 2010 the club won their relegation/promotion battle with Municipal Limeño to regain promotion to Primera Division. The club was relegated at the end of the next season but were given a reprieve after Atletico Balboa was demoted due to their failure to pay the league. Once was finally relegated at the end of the Clausura 2013 season.

Demise and new club

On 17 January 2018 Once Municipal were stripped of their football license due to unpaid fees to Segunda Division and lack of payments to players and coaches.^[2]

On 20 July 2019, a new club was founded by members of the defunct Once Municipal. It acquired the spot of C.D. Pasaquina, which was forced to sell its spot due to massive debt. The name of the new club is Once Deportivo FC.

Club records

• First Match (prior to creation of a league): vs. TBD, 1946
• First Match (official): vs. Ferrocarril 3-1 (a club from La Libertad,), August 1946
• Most points in La Primera: 41 points (13 win, 15 draws, 5 losses) 1986/87
• Least points in La Primera: 11 points (1 win, 8 draws, 27 losses) 1996/97

Individual records

• Most capped player for El Salvador: 50 (0 whilst at Once Lobos), Luis Guevara Mora
• Most international caps for El Salvador while a Once Lobos player: 1, TBD
• Most goals in a season, all competitions: unknown player, 62 (1927/28) (47 in League, 15 in Cup competitions)
• Most goals in a season, La Primera: TBD, 7

Overall seasons table in La Primera

Pos.	Club	Season In La Primera	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	Dif.
TBA	Once Municipal	11	310	77	108	125	340	439	-99

Last updated: 9 October 2022

Notable players

Below are the notable former and current players who have represented Once Municipal and international competition since the club's foundation in 1912. To appear in the section below, a player must have either played in at least 50 official matches for the club or represented their country's national team playing for Once Municipal before, during or after departing the club.

• Dagoberto Portillo
• Elder Figueroa
• Ramon Flores
• Héctor Ávalos
• Mario Deras
• Kevin Santamaria
• Francisco Portillo
• Carlos Menjivar
• Elias Montes
• Israel Castro Franco
• Armando Collado
• Ronald Pimentel
• Osael Romero
• Anel Canales
• Diego Mejia
• Juan Ramon Martinez
• Gustavo Guerrero
• José Rodolfo “Chofo” Cea
• Jorge Adalberto ”Conejo” Lievano
• Rafael Búcaro
• Maximiliano Cubas
• Sean Fraser
• Raúl Magaña
• Mario Antonio Monge
• José Antonio Quintanilla
• Jorge Suárez Landaverde

Team captains

Name	Years
Raúl Magaña	1965
Roberto Lopez	1976
Mario Elías Guevara	2005-2006
Miguel Solis	2011
TBD	TBD

Current technical staff

Position	Name
Manager	Juan Cortés Diéguez
Assistant manager	Omar Pimentel
Goalkeeping coach	Pablo Hernandez
Fitness coach
Club Doctor
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Utility

Management

Position	Name
Owner	Asociación Salaverrí
President	Antonio Salaverrí
Vice President	Abilio Flores
Administrative Manager	Lic. Roberto Campos
Representative of the Once Deportivo	Eliseo Juárez
Club Delegate	Bruno Martinez
Secretary	Roberto Campo
Vice Secretary	Mega Tafut
Sponsor Director	Adolfo Salume
Vice Sponsor Director	Gustavo Rodríguez

Others

• José Orlando Contreras