The 2008 A Championship was the inaugural season of the A Championship in Ireland. The league featured 16 teams. UCD A were the inaugural champions, Cork City A won the Shield competition and Mervue United were promoted to the First Division after a play off.
A Championship Shield Between March and June the twelve League of Ireland Premier Division reserve teams competed in the A Championship Shield. Mervue United, Salthill Devon and Tullamore Town did not play in the Shield as they were still playing in their previous junior/intermediate leagues which operated as winter leagues. This resulted in an overlap with the A Championship which operated as a summer league. The twelve teams were divided into four regionalised groups with the group winners then qualifying for the semi-finals. Group Stage Group A Group B Group C Group DCork City A Bray Wanderers A Bohemians A Finn Harps A Cobh Ramblers A St Patrick's Athletic ADrogheda United A Derry City A Galway United A UCD AShamrock Rovers A Sligo Rovers A Semi-finals
Final
Regular season The regular season saw the twelve League of Ireland Premier Division reserve teams joined by Limerick 37 A plus the first teams of Mervue United, Salthill Devon and Tullamore Town. The format saw the sixteen teams split into two groups of eight, divided roughly into southern and northern groups. The two groups used a traditional round-robin format. The two group winners, UCD A and Bohemians A, then played off in a final. UCD won the inaugural title. As the highest placed non-reserve team, Mervue United qualified for a promotion/relegation play-off and after defeating Kildare County, they were promoted to the League of Ireland First Division.
Group 1
Teams Team Base Manager Stadium Bohemians A Phibsborough AUL Complex Derry City A Derry Brandywell Stadium Drogheda United A Drogheda United Park Finn Harps A Ballybofey Finn Park Mervue United Galway Johnny GlynnFahy's Field Salthill Devon Salthill Emlyn LongDrom Soccer Park Shamrock Rovers A Drumcondra Tolka Park Sligo Rovers A Sligo Showgrounds
Final table
Results
Group 2
Teams Team Base Manager Stadium Bray Wanderers A Bray Jackson Park Cobh Ramblers A Cobh St Colman's Park Cork City A Cork Turner's Cross Galway United A Galway Athenry Limerick 37 A Limerick Jackman Park St Patrick's Athletic AInchicore Richmond Park Tullamore Town Tullamore Keith ColshLeah Victoria Park UCD ABelfield UCD Bowl
Final table
Results
Play-Offs
A Championship Final Bohemians A and UCD A competed in a playoff to decide the overall A Championship title. UCD A won 2–1.
Promotion/Relegation Kildare County and Mervue United, the highest ranked non-reserve team from the A Championship, played off to see who would play in the 2009 First Division.
Mervue United won 5–2 on aggregate and were promoted to the First Division.
See also 2008 League of Ireland Premier Division 2008 League of Ireland First Division 2008 League of Ireland Cup
References