Lega Pro Prima Divisione

Lega Pro Prima Divisione
Country	Italy
Other club(s) from	San Marino
Confederation	FIGC
Founded	1935 as Serie C; 1978 as Serie C1; 2008 as Lega Pro Prima Divisione
Number of teams	33 (17, 16 respectively for the group A, B)
Levels on pyramid	3
Promotion to	Serie B
Relegation to	Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
Domestic cup(s)	Coppa Italia Lega Pro; Supercoppa di Lega di Prima Divisione
Current champions	Ternana (group A); Spezia (group B); (Lega Pro Prima Divisione 2011-12)
Website	http://www.lega-pro.com
	2012–13 Lega Pro Prima Divisione

Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 17 and 16 teams respectively for group A and B. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1.

Before the 1978-79 season there were only three leagues of professional football in Italy, the third being Serie C. In 1978, it was decided to split Serie C into Serie C1 and Serie C2. Serie C2, the fourth highest professional league in the Italian system, was also renamed in 2008 and is now called Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.

During the regular season, teams play only other teams in their own division. Each opponent is played twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 34 matches. Games are scheduled such that in the first 17 matches, every opponent is played once. In the last 17 matches, the same opponents are played in the same order with the only difference being that the venue changes.

Promotion and relegation [edit]

In each division, two teams are promoted to Serie B, and three teams are relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. In total, the league promotes 4 teams to Serie B and relegates 6 teams to Seconda Divisione.

The team finishing first in the regular season is directly promoted to Serie B, while teams placing 2nd to 5th are entered into a play-off semi-final for the chance of gaining the second promotional spot for that particular division.

In the play-off phase that takes place after the regular season is completed, in each division the team placed 2nd will play the team placed 5th, and the team placed 3rd will play the team placed 4th in two double-leg promotional semi-final series with the higher classified team having home field advantage in the second leg. In case of an aggregate tie score, the away goals rule is not used, and the higher classified team is declared the winner without extra time being played nor penalty kicks being taken. The winning teams advance to the final in another double-leg series with similar rules. The only difference being that if an aggregate tie exists at the end of the second match, extra time is played. If the tie persists, again the higher classified team is declared the winner and no penalty kicks are taken. The winner becomes the second team promoted for that particular division to Serie B.

The team finishing last in the regular season is directly relegated to Seconda Divisione, while teams placing 14th to 17th are entered into a relegation playoff phase called play-out. There is only one round in the play-outs. In each division the team placed 14th will play the team placed 17th, and the team placed 15th will play the team placed 16th in a double-leg series with the higher classified team having home field advantage in the second leg. In case of an aggregate tie score, the rules are exactly the same as those for the promotional semi-finals. The two winning teams remain in Prima Divisione while the two losing teams become the second and third teams relegated for that particular division.

Play-off and play-out phases were first held in 1993-1994. Before then, the two top-placed teams were promoted to Serie B, whereas the three bottom-table ones were relegated to Serie C2, as it was known at that time.

Past champions [edit]

Source for league winners:^[1]

Serie C1 [edit]

Group A

Season	Winner	Runner Up

1978-79	Como	Parma
1979-80	Varese	Rimini
1980-81	Reggiana	Cremonese
1981-82	Atalanta	Monza
1982-83	Triestina	Padova
1983-84	Parma	Bologna
1984-85	Brescia	Lanerossi Vicenza
1985-86	Parma	Modena
1986-87	Piacenza	Padova
1987-88	Ancona	Monza
1988-89	Reggiana	Triestina
1989-90	Modena	Lucchese
1990-91	Piacenza	Venezia
1991-92	SPAL	Monza
1992-93	Ravenna	Vicenza

Group B

Season	Winner	Runner Up

1978-79	Matera	Pisa
1979-80	Catania	Foggia
1980-81	Cavese	Sambenedettese
1981-82	Arezzo	Campobasso
1982-83	Empoli	Pescara
1983-84	Bari	Taranto
1984-85	Catanzaro	Palermo
1985-86	Messina	Taranto
1986-87	Catanzaro	Barletta
1987-88	Licata	Cosenza
1988-89	Cagliari	Foggia
1989-90	Taranto	Salernitana
1990-91	Casertana	Palermo
1991-92	Ternana	Fidelis Andria
1992-93	Palermo	Acireale

Season	Winner	Playoff Winner

1993-94	Chievo	Como
1994-95	Bologna	Pistoiese
1995-96	Ravenna	Empoli
1996-97	Treviso	Monza
1997-98	Cesena	Cremonese
1998-99	Alzano Virescit	Pistoiese
1999-00	Siena	Cittadella
2000-01	Modena	Como
2001-02	Livorno	Triestina
2002-03	Treviso	AlbinoLeffe
2003-04	Arezzo	Cesena
2004-05	Cremonese	Mantova
2005-06	Spezia	Genoa
2006-07	Grosseto	Pisa
2007-08	Sassuolo	Cittadella

Season	Winner	Playoff Winner

1993-94	Perugia	Salernitana
1994-95	Reggina	Avellino
1995-96	Lecce	Castel di Sangro
1996-97	Fidelis Andria	Ancona
1997-98	Cosenza	Ternana
1998-99	Fermana	Savoia
1999-00	Crotone	Ancona
2000-01	Palermo	Messina
2001-02	Ascoli	Catania
2002-03	Avellino	Pescara
2003-04	Catanzaro	Crotone
2004-05	Rimini	Avellino
2005-06	Napoli	Frosinone
2006-07	Ravenna	Avellino
2007-08	Salernitana	Ancona