[1][2][3] During its inaugural season, 17 teams participated in the league, divided in two divisions.
[1] Piala Malaysia was played from the quarter-final stage, scheduled for November after the league was finished.
The concept of an annual competition between the states in Malaysia goes back for a long timw.
In 1967 the Malaya Cup was replaced by the Piala Malaysia, but essentially amateur ethos continued until the semi-pro football league was introduced by the Football Association of Malaysia in 1979, as a halfway house towards full professional status.
When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Piala Malaysia.
[1] The formation of the Liga Semi-Pro has introduced a two-tier division of football league in Malaysia.
The Football Association of Singapore pulled out in 1994 following a dispute over gate receipts, and has not been involved since.
[1] Divisyen 1: Pahang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Sarawak, Johor and Selangor.
Divisyen 2: Malacca, Armed Forces, Negri Sembilan, Perlis, Terengganu, Brunei, Sabah and Perak.