2009-10 Serie D

The 2009–10 Serie D was the sixty-second edition of the top level Italian non-professional football championship. It represented the fourth tier in the Italian football league system. It consisted of 167 divided into six 18-team divisions, one 19-team division and two 20-team divisions.

The regular Serie D season started September 6, 2009. Each team played two matches against every other team in its own division; a total of 34 matches for 18-team divisions, 36 matches for the 19-team divisions, and 38 matches for the 20-team division. The nine division winners were automatically promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione for the 2009-10 season, while the two last-placed teams are automatically relegated to Eccellenza.

After the regular season is complete, teams placed 6th-last through to 3rd-last in each division play a double-leg series (6th-last vs 3rd-last, 5th-last vs 4th-last) where the winners remain in Serie D the following season and the two losers are also relegated to Eccellenza for a total of 4 relegations in each division, 36 in total for the league.There are no playoffs if the difference between two teams is bigger than eight points.

The nine division winners enter a tournament to determine the over-all Serie D champion and is awarded the Scudetto Dilettanti.

Teams placed second through fifth in each division enter a playoff tournament after the regular season as well. Eventually, a final game determines which team finishes first and which teams comes in second in this 36-team playoff, and these teams may be bumped up to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione if one or more current Seconda Divisione teams runs into financial difficulties or is penalized.

Given a normal season where there are no team failures and special promotions, Serie D would feature 9 teams that had been relegated from Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, 36 teams that had been promoted from Eccellenza, and 117 teams had played in Serie D the year before. Due to nine bankruptcies and non-admissions in the professional leagues above Serie D and eight bankruptcies or promotions to fill vacancies in Serie D, the 2009-10 season was to feature only 5 teams that played in Serie C2 2008-09, 40 teams that played in Eccellenza 2008-09, and 121 teams that played in Serie D 2008-09.The league also admitted three of the teams that had failed in the senior leagues.Pisa & Avellino, both of whom played in Serie B 2008-09, were placed in Girone D & Girone I respectively.Venezia which played in Serie C1 2008-09 was placed in Girone C.The league admitted on team more from Eccellenza L'Aquila, which was first in its Girone two games before the end and couldn't play them because of the earthquake, and was placed in Girone F. Finally, 167 teams will compete in Serie D 2009-10.

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