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Liga Semi-Pro

Liga Semi-Pro
Country Malaysia Malaysia
Other club(s) from Brunei Brunei, Singapore Singapore
Confederation AFC
Founded 1989; 28 years ago (1989)
Folded 1993; 24 years ago (1993)
Divisions Divisyen 1
Divisyen 2
Number of teams 10 Divisyen 1 (from 1990)
8 Divisyen 2
Level on pyramid 1-2
Domestic cup(s) Piala Malaysia
Piala FA (from 1990)
TV partners RTM

Liga Semi-Pro (English: Semi-Pro League) was a semi-pro football league in Malaysia that operated from 1989 until 1993. The league was managed by Football Association of Malaysia. It consist of two divisions, the Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1 and Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 2. Liga Semi-Pro was official established in 1989 as a semi-pro league competition for football team in Malaysia to qualify for Piala Malaysia.

During its inaugural season in 1989, 17 teams participated in the league divided into two divisions where nine teams were in Divisyen 1 and eight teams in Divisyen 2. Under the new format, only the top six teams in Divisyen 1 and the Divisyen 2 champions and runners-up will be involved in the Piala Malaysia. Piala Malaysia was played from the quarter-final stage, scheduled for November after the league was finished. The Piala Malaysia quarter-final and semi-final matches will be played on a home and away basis.

The league was the nation's top-tier league until it was succeeded by the formation of Malaysian first professional football league, the Liga Perdana in 1994 by Football Association of Malaysia.

The concept of an annual competition between the states in Malaysia goes back more than 95 years. In 1967 the Malaya Cup was replaced by the Piala Malaysia but the essentially amateur ethos continued until the semi-pro football league was introduced by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in 1979 as a 'halfway house' towards full professional status.

This football league competition involving the representative sides of the state football associations 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 Piala Malaysia. It was not until 1982 that a league trophy 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. From 1982 until 1988 the league is an amateur status continue its purpose as qualifying round for Piala Malaysia and only in 1989 it has officially changes to a new format as Liga Semi-Pro and was also just recognized as Malaysian League.


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