Rochdale Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The team currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English league system. Nicknamed 'The Dale', they have played home matches at Spotland Stadium since 1920 and, until 2019, contested derby matches with Oldham Athletic and previously with Bury.

The 2008 Football League Two play-off final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2008 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Stockport County and Rochdale to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two to the Football League One. The top three teams of the 2007–08 Football League Two season, Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough United and Hereford United, gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2008–09 season in League One. The losing semi-finalists were Darlington and Wycombe Wanderers.