The A Championship is 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. The title sponsor of the league from the 2009 season onwards is Newstalk.
| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Ireland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | League of Ireland First Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | FAI Cup League of Ireland Cup |
| Current champions | Template:Fb team University College Dublin A |
| Website | http://airtricityleague.com |
| Current: 2011 A Championship | |
History
The inaugural season was won by Template:Fb team University College Dublin A who beat Template:Fb team Bohemians A 2-1 in the final, held in the UCD Bowl on the 11th of November 2008. Template:Fb team Mervue United finished 3rd in Group 1 to enter a two-legged play-off with Template:Fb team Kildare County for a spot in the 2009 League of Ireland. Template:Fb team Mervue United won 5-2 on aggregate to win promotion to the First Division, with Template:Fb team Kildare County being relegated.
Before the 2009 season, Newstalk were named as the title sponsors of the championship, now called the Newstalk A Championship.
Template:Fb team 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 Template:Fb team Kildare County the opportunity to remain in the First Division. Template:Fb team Shamrock Rovers A were the 2009 Newstalk A Championship champions defeating Template:Fb team Salthill Devon 1-0 at Drom, Co. Galway on 31 October 2009. Template:Fb team Salthill Devon were promoted after Template:Fb team Kildare County were unable to fulfill the play-off fixture.
Template:Fb team University College Dublin A were the 2010 Newstalk A Championship champions defeating Template:Fb team Bohemians A 2-1 at the UCD Bowl on 1 November 2010.
Champions
Format
The league is split into two regional groups, which are 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 are constantly changing due to promotion/relegation in the League of Ireland. The 2 group winners play off for the A Championship title. The highest placed first team club compete 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 finish in the top 3 of their group.
The current non-reserve teams competing in the A Championship are:
Clubs (2011)
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.
See also
External links
References
- ^ http://loi.ie/index.php/matchzone/newstalk-a-championship/information
- ^ "Newstalk A Championship". Loi.ie. Retrieved 8 August 2009.