Malaysia M3 League
 | |
| Organising body | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 13 January 2019 |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 20 (from 2020) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Malaysia Premier League |
| Relegation to | Malaysia M4 League |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup FAM Cup |
| Current champions | Kelantan United (1st title) (2019) |
| Most championships | Kelantan United (1st title) |
| TV partners | Vnow.TV |
| Current: 2021 Malaysia M3 League | |
The Malaysia M3 League (Malay: Liga M3 Malaysia) is the third level football league of the Malaysian football league system. It operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Malaysia Premier League and the Malaysia M4 League.[1] The league was created as part of the Malaysian Football League's plan to reform the Malaysian football league structure. It is the replacement of the former Malaysia FAM League.
The Malaysia M3 League is contested by 20 clubs where the season runs from March to November with a Ramadan break for a month depending on the Islamic calendar. Teams play 26 matches each, totalling 306 matches in the season.[2] Most games are played on Fridays, with a few games played during weekdays.
History[]
In 2018, the Malaysia M3 League was supposed to form the fourth division of the Malaysian football league system, however after the Football Association of Malaysia confirmed a reform of the Malaysia FAM League to return to a knockout competition format, the league was announced as a replacement for the Malaysia FAM League to form the de facto third division of the Malaysian football league system.[3][4][5][6]
After a rebranding of the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) to the Malaysian Football League (MFL) in March 2018, the company announced a reform of the lower league competitions in Malaysia.[7][8] In 2019, a new subsidiary of the company was formed, known as the Amateur Football League (AFL) which was tasked to manage the new third division and below.[9] The AFL officially confirmed the formation of the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League as the third and fourth divisions of the Malaysian football league system as amateur league competitions.[10]
A total of 14 clubs were confirmed to compete in the inaugural season of the newly reformed third division, with the Malaysia M3 League replacing the former Malaysia FAM League.[11] While 14 groups of teams competing throughout Malaysia which ran in parallel formed the Malaysia M4 League. Qualified champions from the 5 FA State Leagues and 9 Social Leagues in 2018 were promoted to the inaugural 2019 Malaysia M3 League season.
For the 2020 season, the Malaysia M3 League was divided into two groups of 10 teams.[12] At the end of the season, the top team from each group of the league would be promoted to the Malaysia Premier League.[13] This however did not happen because of the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was declared null and void.[14]
For the 2021 season, the AFL announced format changes for the Malaysia M3 League and Malaysia M4 League in preparation for the transition of the amateur teams to become semi-professional by 2021.
Clubs[]
14 clubs have played in the Malaysia M3 League since its inception in 2019
Champions, Runners-up and Third places[]
| Year | Champion | Runners-up | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Kelantan United
|
 Kuching
|
 Armed Forces
| |
| 2020 | cancelled and declared null and void due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | cancelled and declared null and void due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
Wins by the clubs[]
| Club | Wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Kelantan United
|
1 | 2019 |
Season[]
The following 14 clubs contested the league in its inaugural season, including the 3 clubs from the 2018 Malaysia FAM League. 10 clubs were promoted from the 2018 Malaysia M4 League (previously known as the Malaysia M5 League). 4 clubs have withdrawn from the competition and 1 club was invited by the organizer to participate in the competition which were Tun Razak City F.C.
| Club | Previous league in 2018 |
Position in 2018 |
First season in third-tier |
First season in M3 League |
Seasons in third-tier |
Seasons in M3 League |
First season of current spell in M3 League |
Title wins | Last title win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces | Malaysia FAM League | 3rd | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - |
| Banggol Tok Ku | Terengganu Amateur League | 1st | - | 2019 | - | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - |
| 1st | - | 2019 | - | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - | ||
| Dak-dak Melawati | 1st | - | 2019 | - | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - | |
| Langkawi Glory United | Subang Football League | 1st | - | 2019 | - | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - |
| Johor Bahru | Johor Darul Ta’zim League | 1st | 2019 | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - | ||
| Kelantan United | Malaysia FAM League | 7th | 2016 | 2019 | 3 | 1 | 2019 | 1 | 2019 |
| Kuching | Malaysia FAM League | 4th | 2017 | 2019 | 2 | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - |
| Penjara | 1st | 2009 | 2019 | 4 | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - | |
| Protap | 1st | - | 2019 | - | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - | |
| Puchong Fuerza | 1st | - | 2019 | - | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - | |
| SAMB | Melaka Division 1 League | 1st | 2016 | 2019 | 3 | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - |
| - | 2019 | - | 1 | 2019 | 0 | - | |||
| Ultimate | 1st | - | 2019 | - | 2 | 2019 | 0 | - |
Note : Third-tier also represents the previous third-tier in the Malaysian football league system which was the Malaysia FAM League (2008–2018)
Other clubs[]
The following clubs are not competing in the Malaysia M3 League during the 2019 season, but competed in the third-tier or Malaysia M3 League for at least one season.
| Club | Current League | Position in 2018 |
First season in third-tier |
First season in M3 League |
Seasons in third-tier |
Seasons in M3 League |
Most recent season in M3 League |
Title wins | Last title win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D'AR Wanderers | - | 3rd in FAM League (Group B) |
|||||||
| Kuala Lumpur City Hall | - | 6th in FAM League (Group A) |
|||||||
| Terengganu Hanelang | - | ||||||||
| Marcerra United | - | ||||||||
| Ministry of Finance | - | ||||||||
| Selangor United | Malaysia Premier League | 1st in FAM League (Group A) |
|||||||
| Perlis | 5th in FAM League (Group B) | ||||||||
| Petaling Jaya Rangers | 2nd in FAM League (Group B) |
||||||||
| Shahzan Muda | |||||||||
| Terengganu City | 1st in FAM League (Group B) |
||||||||
| Young Fighters | |||||||||
| FELCRA | - | 2nd in Premier League | |||||||
| KDMM | |||||||||
| Sime Darby | |||||||||
| UKM | Malaysia Premier League | 8th in Premier League |
Note : Third-tier also represents the previous third-tier in the Malaysian football league system which was the Malaysia FAM League (2008–2018)
Players[]
Foreign players[]
- 2019: 2 foreign players.
- 2020: 4 foreign players, including 2 under 20 years old players.
- 2021–: foreign players banned.
Records and achievements[]
Golden Boot winners[]
Below is the list of golden boot winners of the Malaysia M3 League since its inception as a third-tier league in 2019.
| Season | Players | Clubs | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Fakhrul Zaman
|
Kelantan United | 28 |
See also[]
- FAM Football Awards
- History of Malaysian football
- Expatriate footballers in Malaysia
- List of foreign Malaysian League players
References[]
- ^ http://johorsoutherntigers.com.my/14-state-and-social-league-organisers-sign-agreement-to-join-m5-league/ Archived 22 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine 14 STATE AND SOCIAL LEAGUE ORGANISERS SIGN AGREEMENT TO JOIN M5 LEAGUE
- ^ Eric Samuel (7 May 2015). "More domestic football on TV next season". The Star. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ https://www.goal.com/en-my/news/fam-cup-contested-knockout-competition-2019/1q80apv1fs59v1osij8joftlge FAM Cup to be contested as knockout competition in 2019
- ^ https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2018/11/430876/fam-cup-faces-uncertainty-mfl-ready-step FAM Cup faces uncertainty, MFL ready to step in
- ^ https://www.fam.org.my/piala-fam-2019 Piala FAM 2019
- ^ http://www.astroawani.com/berita-sukan/fam-cadang-perkenal-format-baharu-liga-fam-191970 AM cadang perkenal format baharu Liga FAM
- ^ https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/03/349279/tmj-thank-you-malaysian-football-and-goodbye TMJ: Thank you Malaysian football and goodbye
- ^ https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/johor-crown-prince-resigns-as-fam-president-appointed-as-10076070 Johor crown prince resigns as FAM President, appointed as Malaysia Football League chairman
- ^ https://www.goal.com/en-my/news/14-amateur-leagues-confirmed-as-part-of-inaugural-malaysian-tier-/l4242smju3ii1v6yggv24ruuv 14 amateur leagues confirmed as part of inaugural Malaysian tier five season
- ^ https://www.foxsports.com.my/malaysia/46879/14-pasukan-sedia-bersaing-di-liga-m3-malaysia-2019/ 14 pasukan sedia bersaing di Liga M3 Malaysia 2019
- ^ https://www.foxsports.com.my/liga-malaysia/38174/gambaran-struktur-piramid-bola-sepak-malaysia-2019/ Gambaran struktur piramid bola sepak Malaysia 2019
- ^ "AFL umum penstrukturan semula Liga M3, 20 pasukan dalam saingan musim 2020". Vocket FC.
- ^ "Pasukan bertanding ambil langkah positif penstrukturan Liga M3". Semuanya Bola.
- ^ "M3 League cancelled due to Covid-19". New Straits Times.
- Malaysia M3 League
- Football leagues in Malaysia
- Third level football leagues in Asia
- Football in Malaysia