Details:

Full Name: Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico - Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A
Founded: 1935
Level: 3
Number of Teams: 18

Description:

The third and fourth tiers of Italian football are collectively known as the Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico or simply Lega Pro. The third division is the Lega Pro Prima Divisione and the fourth tier is the Lega Pro Segunda Divisione. The league is split into two geographic groups - Girone A and Girone B. Until 2008 it was called Serie C1 and before that simply Serie C.

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A Format:

• The Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A season begins in August and ends in May or early June with a very short winter break.
• The 18 teams play each other twice (home and away) for a total of 34 matches.
• 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
• Final league position is based on the total number of points earned over the full season.
• The team with the most points is considered the league champion and is promoted to the second tier Serie B.
• The teams finishing 2nd-5th enter a playoff to determine an additional team to be promoted. All series are 2 leg, home and away and in case of a tie the team finishing higher in the regular season advance.
• The team finishing last are automatically relegated to the fourth-tier Lega Pro Segunda Divisione. The teams finishing 14th-17th enter a playoff to determine 2 additional teams to be relegated. This is typically called a playout in Italy. There is only one round (14th-17th and 15th-16th) and both series are 2 leg, home and away and in case of a tie the team finishing higher in the regular season advance.

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A Links:

• Official Website: lega-calcio-serie-c.it