Twenty nine clubs participated in this year's competition. The ten Premier Division, twelve First Division and the five non-reserve teams from the A Championship were joined by Kildrum Tigers, the 2008 Ulster Senior League champions, and the Kerry District League representative side. For the Preliminary, First and Second Rounds of the competition, all participating clubs were split into 4 regional pools with the further rounds of the competition having an open draw.
The 2009 EA Sports Cup kicked off on Monday, 30 March 2009 with the preliminary round. The Final was played on Saturday, 26 September 2009, and was won by Bohemians.[1]
Preliminary round
The matches were played on Monday, 30 and Tuesday, 31 March 2009.