| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Burnley (Championship) Scunthorpe United (League One) Gillingham (League Two) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 23 (1.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Gillingham 2–1 Rochdale (League Two) |
| Biggest away win | Reading 0–2 Burnley (Championship) |
| Highest scoring | Millwall 2-3 Scunthorpe (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 80,518 – Burnley v Sheffield United (Championship final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,450 – Rochdale v Gillingham (League Two semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 25,298 |
← 2008 2010 → | |
The Football League play-offs for the 2008–09 season were held in May 2009, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One tables, and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in League Two. The semi-final winners progressed to the finals, with the winner of each match earning promotion for the following season.
Burnley and Sheffield United contested the Championship play-off final, having defeated Reading and Preston North End respectively in the semi-finals. Burnley secured promotion to the Premier League with a 1–0 victory, courtesy of a goal from Wade Elliott. In the League One final, Scunthorpe United won 3–2 against Millwall; Leeds United and MK Dons were the other teams to reach the play-offs. In League Two, Gillingham won their semi-final against Rochdale and then secured promotion with a 1–0 victory against Shrewsbury, who had beaten Bury in their semi-final.