A Championship
| Country |
 Ireland |
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Folded | 2011 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | League of Ireland First Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | FAI Cup |
| League cup(s) | League of Ireland Cup |
| Last champions |
Derry City A (2011) |
| Most championships | UCD A (2) |
| Website | AirtricityLeague.ie |
The A Championship was the third tier in the Republic of Ireland football league system.[1][2] It was created in 2008 by the FAI to act as the first stop for clubs hoping to move into the League of Ireland, but cancelled at the end of the 2011 season. The title sponsor of the league from 2009 to 2011 was Newstalk.
History
The inaugural season was won by UCD A who beat Bohemians A 2-1 in the final, held in the UCD Bowl on 11 November 2008. Mervue United finished 3rd in Group 1 to enter a two-legged play-off with Kildare County for a spot in the 2009 League of Ireland. Mervue United won 5-2 on aggregate to win promotion to the First Division, with Kildare County being relegated.
Before the 2009 season, Newstalk were named as the title sponsors of the championship, now called the Newstalk A Championship.
Cobh Ramblers failed to obtain a First Division license and were therefore relegated to the A Championship at the beginning of the 2009 season. This gave Kildare County the opportunity to remain in the First Division. Shamrock Rovers A were the 2009 Newstalk A Championship champions defeating Salthill Devon 1-0 at Drom, Co. Galway on 31 October 2009. Salthill Devon were promoted after Kildare County were unable to fulfill the play-off fixture.
UCD A were the 2010 Newstalk A Championship champions defeating Bohemians A 2-1 at the UCD Bowl on 1 November 2010.
In 2011, Derry City A won the final A Championship, beating UCD A 3-2 in the final.
Previous seasons
| Season | Champions | Group 1 Winner | Group 2 Winner | Promoted | Cup Winner | Top goalscorer | Highest placed non-reserve team | Team faced in Play-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | UCD A | Bohemians A | UCD A | Mervue United | Not played | N/A | Mervue United | Kildare County |
| 2009 | Shamrock Rovers A | Salthill Devon | Shamrock Rovers A | Salthill Devon | Not played | N/A | Salthill Devon | N/A |
| 2010 | UCD A | Bohemians A | UCD A | None | Sporting Fingal A | N/A | Cobh Ramblers | Salthill Devon |
| 2011 | Derry City A | Derry City A | Bray Wanderers A | Not played | N/A | FC Carlow |
Format
The league was split into two regional groups, which were made up of reserve teams of all League of Ireland Premier Division and some First Division clubs, as well as first team clubs which received an A Championship license from the FAI. The clubs in the A Championship constantly changed due to promotion/relegation in the League of Ireland. The 2 group winners played off for the A Championship title. The highest placed first team club competed in a two-legged play-off against the bottom team in the First Division for the right to play in the First Division, provided they finished in the top 3 of their group.
Teams
The following teams competed during the four A Championship seasons:
| Team | 2008 season | 2009 season | 2010 season | 2011 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians A | 1st (Group 1) Losing finalist |
2nd (Group 2) | 1st (Group 1) Losing finalist |
5th (Group 1) |
| Bray Wanderers A | 4th (Group 2) | 3rd (Group 2) | 8th (Group 2) | 1st (Group 2) Losing semi-finalist |
| Castlebar Celtic | 4th (Group 1) | 7th (Group 1) | ||
| Cobh Ramblers | 9th (Group 2) | 2nd (Group 2) Not promoted after play-off |
6th (Group 2) | |
| Cobh Ramblers A | 6th (Group 2) | |||
| Cork City A | 2nd (Group 2) | 6th (Group 2) | ||
| Derry City A | 7th (Group 1) | 5th (Group 1) | 1st (Group 1) Winner | |
| Drogheda United A | 4th (Group 1) | 2nd (Group 1) | 9th (Group 1) | 6th (Group 1) |
| Dundalk A | 7th (Group 1) | 3rd (Group 1) | 8th (Group 1) | |
| Fanad United | 4th (Group 1) | |||
| FC Carlow | 8th (Group 2) | 5th (Group 2) | 4th (Group 2) | |
| Finn Harps A | 2nd (Group 1) | 3rd (Group 1) | 5th (Group 1) | 7th (Group 1) |
| Galway United A | 3rd (Group 2) | 9th (Group 1) | 9th (Group 2) | 8th (Group 2) |
| Limerick A | 7th (Group 2) (as Limerick 37 A) |
6th (Group 2) | 7th (Group 2) | |
| Mervue United | 3rd (Group 1) Promoted |
|||
| St Patrick's Athletic A | 5th (Group 2) | 7th (Group 2) | 3rd (Group 2) | 3rd (Group 2) |
| Salthill Devon | 8th (Group 1) | 1st (Group 1) Losing finalist, Promoted |
||
| Shamrock Rovers A | 5th (Group 1) | 1st (Group 2) Winner |
4th (Group 2) | 2nd (Group 2) Losing semi-finalist |
| Shelbourne A | 6th (Group 1) | |||
| Sligo Rovers A | 6th (Group 1) | 8th (Group 1) | 4th (Group 1) | 3rd (Group 1) |
| Sporting Fingal A | 4th (Group 2) | 2nd (Group 1) | ||
| Tralee Dynamos | 5th (Group 2) | 7th (Group 2) | 5th (Group 2) | |
| Tullamore Town | 8th (Group 2) | 6th (Group 1) | 8th (Group 1) | |
| UCD A | 1st (Group 2) Winner |
1st (Group 2) Winner |
2nd (Group 1) Losing finalist |
Cup
In 2010, a cup competition was also launched. The A Championship Cup was a pre-season competition for A Championship clubs. With the A Championship starting later than the League of Ireland, the A Championship Cup was a warm-up competition for the clubs involved. This was discontinued after just one season.
Stadiums
18 football stadiums have been used to host matches. Those marked in bold indicate teams playing in the 2010 season, while those in italics have been demolished.
1Clubs A Team
See also
References
- ↑ http://loi.ie/index.php/matchzone/newstalk-a-championship/information
- ↑ "Newstalk A Championship". Loi.ie. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
External links
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