Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A

Details:

Full Name: Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico - Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A
Country: Italy

Founded: 1935
Level: 3
Number of Teams: 18

Description:

The third tier of Italian football is known as the Lega Pro Prima Divisione and is split into two geographic groups - Girone A and Girone B. Until 2008 it was called Serie C1 and before that simply Serie C.

League 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.

Links:

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