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The 2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season is the thirty-first since its establishment in 1978, and the first edition since the renaming from Serie C to Lega Pro. It will be divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.
Contents
The league will be composed of 36 teams divided into two divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams will be divided mainly according to geographical principles. Teams will play only other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 34 matches.
Teams finishing first in the regular season, plus one team winning the playoff round from each division will be promoted to Serie B; teams finishing last in the regular season, plus two relegation playoff losers from each division will be relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. In all, four teams will be promoted to Serie B, and six teams will be relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
Start of season
The league was to feature four teams relegated from Serie B in 2007-08; Avellino, Ravenna, Spezia, and Cesena. Two vacancies were created with the re-admission of Avellino to Serie B, and the bankruptcy of Spezia.
It featured six teams promoted from Serie C2 2007-08: Pergocrema, Reggiana, Benevento, Lumezzane, Portosummaga, and Marcianise.
The remaining 26 teams were to come from the teams that played in Serie C1 2007-08 that were neither promoted nor relegated. Of those, Lucchese (8th in Girone B), and Massese (13th in Girone B) were also banned creating two more vacancies.
Three of the four vacancies were filled by Virtus Lanciano, Pro Patria and Lecco which had lost in last year's Serie C1 relegation playoffs and were destined to play in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. The fourth vacancy was filled by SPAL, which lost in last year's Serie C2 promotional playoffs and was thus destined to remain there.
Promotions
Cesena won direct promotion to Serie B for the 2009-10 season by finishing first in Girone A. Just one year ago Cesena was directly relegated from the same Serie B for finishing in last place. Gallipoli also won direct promotion to Serie B by being crowned champions in Girone B. It was Gallipoli's third consecutive year in Lega Pro Prima Divisione/C1 after winning promotion from Serie C2 in 2005-06.
Relegations
Legnano and Potenza were the first two teams relegated by finishing last in their respective divisions. Both teams had been in Prima Divisione/C1 for two consecutive years after winning promotion from Serie C2 2006–07.
Four teams were relegated by losing in the relegation playoffs. Pro Sesto was relegated after 4 seasons in Prima Divisione/C1, winning promotion from C2 in 2004-05. Pro Sesto was forced to play in the playouts two other times, winning one and losing the other in 2006, but asked to remain in C1 to fill vacancies. Sambenedettese also lost in the Girone A playouts after 7 seasons in Prima Divisione/C1, winning promotion from C2 in 2001-02.
In Girone B, Pistoiese and Juve Stabia lost in the relegation playoffs. Pistoiese had been in Serie B 2001-02, and after being relegated that year, spent the next 7 years in Prima Divisione/C1. Juve Stabia was promoted from C2 2004-05, spending the next four seasons in C1/Lega Pro.
Teams
On August 14, 2008 the following clubs were confirmed to be competing in the division:
Girone A
Updated to games played on 10 May 2009.
Source: Lega Calcio Professionistico
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
1 4 points deducted.[1]
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
Girone B
Updated to games played on 10 May 2009.
Source: Lega Calcio Professionistico
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
1 1 point deducted.[2]
2 2 points deducted.[3]
3 3 points deducted.[4]
4 Reprieved from relegation to fill vacancy.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.