History
A football league competition involving the representative sides of the state football assiociations was first held in Malaysia in 1979. When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Malaysia Cup. It was not until until 1982 that a League Cup was introduced to recognise the winners of the preliminary stage as the league champions. Over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right.
Initially the only teams only allowed to participate in the league were the state FA's sides, teams representing the Armed Forces and the Police, and teams representing the neighbouring countries of Singapore and Brunei (though the Football Association of Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season following a dispute with the Football Association of Malaysia over gate receipts, and has not been involved since). In recent years, top Malaysian club teams have also been admitted to the league competition.
Between 1989 to 1993 and 1998 to 2003, the football league in Malaysia was divided into two levels:
- First Division: Malaysian Premier 1 League
- Second Division: Malaysian Premier 2 League
Between 2004 to 2006, the professional football league in Malaysia was divided into 2 levels and 2 groups:
- First Division: Malaysia Super League
- Second Division: Malaysia Premier League Group A
- Second Division: Malaysia Premier League Group B
- First Division: Malaysia Super League
- Second Division: Malaysia Premier League
Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup is a highly-prestigious annual soccer tournament in Malaysia. It is currently the longest-running football competition in Asia.The competition is currently played at the end of each year's football season, and is contested by the 16 most successful teams in Malaysia's football league of that year.
The tournament began in 1921, when it was called the Malaya Cup. The original trophy was presented by the officers and men of a British battleship, the HMS Malaya. In honour of this, the competition was renamed the HMS Malaya Cup in 1933. A new trophy was inaugurated in 1967, and since then the competition has been known as the Malaysia Cup.
A league competition was introduced in Malaysia in 1979. Since then, the Malaysia Cup has been held after the conclusion of the league each year, with only the best-performing teams in the league qualifying for the Malaysia Cup. When the league began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the Malaysia Cup. However over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right.
Past Winners (1921-2010)
