The 2009 Newstalk A Championship will begin on the first weekend of April, with 18 clubs competing in this season’s competition.
Amongst the clubs competing in the 2009 Newstalk A Championship are six clubs from outside the League of Ireland Premier and First divisions, including three – Castlebar Celtic, FC Carlow and Tralee Dynamos – who will take part in the competition for the first time.
Competing clubs have been divided into two groups, with the winner of each group qualifying for the tournament final. The groups are as follows:
Group 1
Castlebar Celtic, Derry City, Dundalk, Drogheda United, Finn Harps, Galway United, Sligo Rovers, Salthill Devon, Tullamore Town.
Group 2
Bohemians, Bray Wanderers, Cobh Ramblers, Cork City, FC Carlow, Shamrock Rovers, Sporting Fingal, St. Patrick’s Athletic, Tralee Dynamos.
The A Championship, which from 2009 will be sponsored by Newstalk, was first introduced into the League of Ireland during the 2008 season.
The division was introduced in order to improve both player and club pathway into the League of Ireland's top two divisions.
