In 1985, Singapore rejoined the Malaysian football league system and thus competed in the Malaysian League and Malaysia Cup after a temporary spell away, which brought the number of teams up to 17.

[6] In 1967, the Malaya Cup was renamed as the Malaysia Cup, while state leagues were being run by their respective state football associations that covered wider geographical areas.

In 1979, the FAM introduced a new format for the Malaysia Cup with the introduction of a league stage qualification round for the tournament.

The format was initially intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the knockout stages of the Malaysia Cup.

From 1982 until 1988 the league held an amateur status and continued its purpose as a qualifying round for the Malaysia Cup.

It wasn't until 1989 that the league was succeeded by the formation of Liga Semi-Pro and the progression of Malaysian football towards semi-professional status.