Serie C1 2008-09

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.

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.

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.

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