The Malaysia Premier League (Malay: Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.

The Malaysia Premier League was contested by 12 clubs where the season usually ran from early February to late October, with a Ramadan break for a month depending on the Islamic calendar. Teams played 22 matches (playing each team in the league home and away), totalling 132 matches in the season. Most games were played on Fridays, with a few games played during weekdays.

The league operated on a system of promotion and relegation with promotion to the Malaysia Super League and relegation to the Malaysia M3 League.

In 2015, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) - later known as Malaysia Football League (MFL) - was created in the course of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system. The partnership saw all 24 teams of the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League including the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as a managing partner and MP & Silva as a special partner (FAM's global media and commercial advisor) to become stakeholders in the company. The FMLLP owned, operated and ran five entities in Malaysian football under its jurisdiction, which included the Malaysia Super League (MSL), the Malaysia Premier League (MPL), the Malaysia FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup and the Piala Sumbangsih. It aimed to transform and move Malaysian football forward.

The 2022 season was the final season of the Premier League in its current form, as MFL will be discontinuing the league in favour of an expanded Super League, and a future second-tier league replacing the Premier League.

From the 2016 season to the 2018 season, the league was known as the 100PLUS Liga Premier for sponsorship reasons.

The last champions are Johor Darul Ta'zim FC II who won the league in 2022.

History

Origin

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to privatise the Malaysian League from the 2004 season onwards where the Malaysia Super League and Malaysia Premier League were formed. Teams in Liga Perdana 1 and Liga Perdana 2 were then put through a qualification and playoff phase to be promoted into the Malaysia Super League. Teams that failed to qualify were put into the new second-tier league, the Malaysia Premier League.

Liga Perdana 1 was the nation's top-tier league from 1994 until 2003 when it was then succeeded by the formation of a new professional football league, the Malaysia Super League in 2004 formed by the Football Association of Malaysia. Liga Perdana 2 was replaced by the new Malaysia Premier League where the teams were divided into two different groups.

The inaugural season for the new second-tier league started in 2004 with 18 teams divided into 2 said groups.

Between 2004 and 2006, the Malaysia Premier League was divided into two groups of 8 teams, with the number changing due to some teams withdrawing:

  • First Division: Malaysia Super League
  • Second Division: Malaysia Premier League Group A
  • Second Division: Malaysia Premier League Group B

At the end of the season, the top team from each group of the Malaysia Premier League were promoted to the Malaysia Super League. The teams that finished at the bottom of each group were relegated to the Malaysia FAM League. The two group champions also faced-off to determine the Malaysia Premier League champion.

2007 league revamp as a single group

For the 2006-07 season, the Malaysia Premier League was reorganised into a single division of 11 teams instead of being a competition involving two separate groups of teams. There were a fewer number of teams due to more teams being promoted to the Malaysia Super League, as part of that league's expansion, while some others withdrew from the Malaysia Premier League.

From 2007 onwards, the Malaysia Premier League was combined into one single league.

  • First Division: Malaysia Super League
  • Second Division: Malaysia Premier League

2010 league season with 12 teams

Over the years since its formation, the league has witnessed numerous changes to its format in order to accommodate the changes to the rules and number of teams competing in the league, only since the 2010 season was when the number of teams competing was stabilised to 12 teams.

In 2015, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) was created in the course of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system. The partnership saw all 24 teams of the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League including the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as the Managing Partner and MP & Silva as a special partner (FAM's global media and commercial advisor) to become stakeholders in the company. The company owned, operated and ran five entities in Malaysian football under its jurisdiction, which included the Malaysia Super League, the Malaysia Premier League, the Malaysia FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup and the Piala Sumbangsih. It aimed to transform and move Malaysian football forward.

End of Premier League

MFL has announced in 2022 that it will be discontinuing the league in favour of an expanded Super League from 2023 and a future second-tier semi-professional league replacing the Premier League, meaning that 2022 season is to be the final season of the Premier League in its current form. Excluding feeder teams and FAM-MSN Project team, which will be shifted into the Reserve League, the remaining 6 teams from the 2022 season will have the chance to be promoted to the 18-team 2023 Malaysia Super League at the end of the season, either automatically (top 4 teams) or through playoffs with the top 2 2022 Malaysia M3 League teams (bottom 2 teams). Late in 2022 though, it was decided by MFL to cancel the playoffs and promote all the non-feeder teams to 2023 Super League, as teams from M3 League have failed in their Super League licence application.