# Malaysia A2 Amateur League

The Malaysia A2 Amateur League (Malay: Liga A2 Amatur Malaysia), previously the Malaysia M4 League, also known as the Al-Ikhsan Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier football league in the Malaysian football league system. The league was created in 2018 as part of the Malaysian Football League's plan to reform the league structure.
After a rebranding of the Malaysian Football League (MFL) in March 2018, the company announced a reform of lower league competitions in Malaysia. In 2019, a new subsidiary of the company was formed, known as the Amateur Football League (AFL) which was tasked to manage the third division and below. The AFL officially confirmed the formation of the Malaysia M3 League and Malaysia M4 League as the third and fourth divisions of the Malaysian football league system.
A total of 14 clubs were confirmed to compete in the inaugural season of the newly reformed third division, the Malaysia M3 League, which replaced the former Malaysia FAM League, while the 5 FA state leagues and 9 social leagues ran in parallel to form the Malaysia M4 League.

## History
### Origins

Football arrived in Malaysia (British Malaya at that time) as courtesy of the British. The locals soon picked up the game, and before long it was the country's leading and most popular sport. Towards the end of the 19th century, football was one of the central pillars of most sports clubs in Malaya. However, it was not structured. Even when the Selangor Amateur Football League (SAFL) took shape in 1905 – which ensured proper administration and organisation – the competition was confined only to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.
The earliest recorded state football league took place in Penang, where YMCA won the league in 1909. The other earliest recorded winners of state football leagues were Johor in 1922 (P.W.D.A.A.), Malacca in 1929 (Malacca Chinese FA), Negeri Sembilan in 1929 (Nilai Club), Perak in 1932 (Perak Chinese RC) and Selangor in 1935 (Rangers). Alongside the leagues, cup competitions also took place.
By 1933 the administration for the football in Malaya was founded as the Football Association of Malaya (FAM), which managed the local football scene at that time. By 1954, the FAM joined FIFA as a member of the AFC.
Malaysia consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea, with eleven states and two federal territories (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya) in Peninsular Malaysia, and two states and one federal territory (Labuan) in East Malaysia (Borneo). Each state has its own sets of football leagues, and some may have multiple divisions with promotion and relegation rules among them.
The leagues have a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between league divisions at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the hypothetical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. The exact number of clubs varies, but an estimated average of 10 clubs per division implies that hundreds of teams are members of domestic league system. For the 2021 season, the AFL has announced the format changes for the M3 and M4 leagues, in preparation for the transition to semi-professional status.

## Overview

The M4 league were part of the Malaysian football pyramid of leagues, bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. A certain number of the most successful clubs in each state FA, social and community M5 league can rise to this division, whilst those that finish at the bottom of M3 league can find themselves relegate to this league. In addition to sporting performance, promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances.

## Clubs

Below is the list of clubs joined in 2024, based on the status gained from 2023 Malaysia M3 League and 2023 Malaysia M5 League.
| # | Teams | League |
| 1 | AAK Ultimate | 2023 Malaysia M3 League relegated team |
| 2 | Bunga Raya United F.C. | 2023 RAFA Southern Selangor League finalist |
| 3 | Gombak City F.C. | 2023 MAHSA-KRONOS M5 League champion |
| 4 | Guar Syed Alwi | 2023 Perlis Super League champion |
| 5 | JAKIM FC | 2023 Malaysia M4 League quarter-finalist |
| 6 | KG KU | 2023 KLFA M5 League champion |
| 7 | Kuala Muda | Invited team |
| 8 | MAHSA United | 2023 Malaysia M4 League participant |
| 9 | MP Port Dickson | 2023 Malaysia M4 League semi-finalist |
| 10 | NBK Empire F.C. | 2023 A-Ligue Champions League M5 finalist |
| 11 | Pencinta Setia F.C. | 2023-24 PBDLMS M5 League participant |
| 12 | Real Mambau FC | 2023 A-Ligue Nismilan semi-finalist |
| 13 | SAMB | Invited team |
| 14 | Semantan Troopers F.C. | 2023 Pahang Amateur League finalist |
| 15 | SJ Virtuosos F.C. | 2023 Putrajaya M5 League champion |
| 16 | Wan Tendong Stable | 2023 Malaysia M4 League quarter-finalist |

## Play-off champions and runners-up

| Year | Champion | Runners-up | Result |
| 2019 | KSR SAINS | IKRAM Muda | 1–0 |
| 2020 / 2021 | cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2022 | no tournament | no tournament | no tournament |
| 2023 | UiTM United | YPM FC | 2–1 |
| 2024 | Guar Syed Alwi | Kelantan WTS | 2–2 (4–2 pen.) |

## Performance by clubs

Clubs shown in italics no longer exist or no longer compete in the competition.
| No. | Club | Winners | Runners-up |
| 1 | KSR SAINS | 1 (2019) | — |
| 2 | UiTM United | 1 (2023) | — |
| 3 | Guar Syed Alwi | 1 (2024) | — |
| 4 | IKRAM Muda | — | 1 (2019) |
| 5 | YPM FC | — | 1 (2023) |
| 6 | Kelantan WTS | — | 1 (2024) |

## Records and achievements
### Top scorers

Below is the list of golden boot winners of the league since its inception in 2019.
| Season | Player | Club | Goals |
| 2019 | Not awarded | — | — |
| 2023 | Arisazri Juhari | JAKIM | 11 |
| 2024 | Muhammad Fa'es Hafize Mohd Fadzil | AAK Ultimate | 14 |

### Man of the match (final)

| Season | Player | Club |
| 2023 | Not awarded | — |
| 2024 | Aziz Ismail | Kelantan WTS |

### Winning coaches

| Season | Winning coach | Club |
| 2023 | Mohd Yazli Yahya | UiTM United |
| 2024 | Mohd Firdaus bin Abdul Rahman | Guar Syed Alwi |