The league was contested by 18 teams who competing for promotion to the 2009–10 Ekstraklasa. The regular season was played in a round-robin tournament. The champions and runners-up will receive automatic promotion. At the other end, the bottom four teams face automatic demotion to the II liga, while the fate of the 13th and 14th-place finishers will be decided by playoffs.
The season began on 26 July 2008, and concluded on 5 June 2009. After the 19th matchday the league will be on winter break between 16 November 2008 and 13 March 2009.[5]
^The PZPN Emergency Committee at its meeting on 15 July 2009 recognized as binding the decision of the Football Association of Poland of 2 April 2008, regarding the transfer of Widzew Łódź to a lower class. Therefore, the team will start the 2009/2010 season again in the first league. Due to this, Korona Kielce received a direct promotion to Ekstraklasa, and the playoffs for Ekstraklasa were canceled.[6]
^Kmita Zabierzów withdrew from the league in February 2009 as a result of financial difficulties.[7]