| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23 August 2008 – 24 May 2009 |
| Champions | Hibernians (10th title) |
| Relegated | Marsaxlokk |
| Champions League | Hibernians |
| Europa League | Valletta Birkirkara |
| Matches | 132 |
| Goals | 387 (2.93 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | |
2009–10 → | |
TheMaltese Premier League 2008–09 was the 94th season of theMaltese Premier League, the top-tierassociation football competition in Malta. It began on 23 August 2008 with a scoreless draw betweenFloriana andHamrun Spartans; and ended on 24 May 2009. The first goal in the season was scored byIvan, who played forQormi.Hibernians were crowned champions on 23 May 2009, surpassing rivalsValletta by two points and winning their tenth title.
The following teams were promoted from theFirst Division at the start of the season:
From the previous Premier League season, the following teams were relegated to the First Division:
In the First phase, every team played each opponent twice, once home and once away, for a total of 18 games. The league was then split in two pools. Earned points were halved. Teams that finished in positions 1–6 compete in the "Top Six" and teams finishing in positions 7–10 play in the "Play-Out".
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hibernians | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 49 | 19 | +30 | 41 | Qualification for theTop Six |
| 2 | Valletta | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 11 | +20 | 40 | |
| 3 | Birkirkara | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 31 | 28 | +3 | 32 | |
| 4 | Sliema Wanderers | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 26 | |
| 5 | Floriana | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 22 | |
| 6 | Marsaxlokk | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 33 | −5 | 22 | |
| 7 | Msida Saint-Joseph | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 28 | −8 | 21 | Qualification for thePlay-Out |
| 8 | Hamrun Spartans | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 24 | 37 | −13 | 17 | |
| 9 | Qormi | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 26 | −10 | 15 | |
| 10 | Tarxien Rainbows | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 22 | 36 | −14 | 14 |
| Home \ Away | BIR | FLO | HIB | HAM | MRS | MSJ | QOR | SLI | TAR | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birkirkara | — | 0–1 | 0–6 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Floriana | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–2[a] | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Hibernians | 3–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Hamrun Spartans | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–4 | — | 4–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 |
| Marsaxlokk | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 4–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Msida Saint-Joseph | 2–2 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Qormi | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 0–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Sliema Wanderers | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| Tarxien Rainbows | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–7 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | — | 1–3 |
| Valletta | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | HIB | VAL | BIR | SLI | MRS | FLO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hibernians(C) | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 73 | 25 | +48 | 42 | Qualification for the2009–10 UEFA Champions League | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Valletta | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 50 | 18 | +32 | 40 | Qualification for the2009–10 UEFA Europa League | 2–1 | — | 4–1 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| 3 | Birkirkara | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 27 | 0–4 | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Sliema Wanderers[a] | 28 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 25 | 0–5 | 0–3 | 1–0 | — | 1–3 | 3–0 | ||
| 5 | Marsaxlokk(R) | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 46 | 52 | −6 | 25 | Relegation to the2009–10 Maltese First Division[b] | 1–4 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–3 | — | 5–2 | |
| 6 | Floriana | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 25 | 44 | −19 | 16 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | QOR | TAR | MSJ | HAM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Qormi | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 30 | 31 | −1 | 20 | — | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | |
| 8 | Tarxien Rainbows | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 16[a] | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 5–1 | |
| 9 | Msida Saint-Joseph[b] | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 25 | 40 | −15 | 16[a] | 0–5 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | |
| 10 | Hamrun Spartans[b] | 24 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 | 48 | −17 | 16 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | — |
BecauseTarxien Rainbows,Msida Saint-Joseph andHamrun Spartans were tied on points after all matches played, their head-to head results in Play-Out were decisive. Hamrun Spartans had the fewest points in those matches and were therefore immediately relegated. However, Tarxien Rainbows and Msida Saint-Joseph were equal on points in their two matches and they played a decision game to determine the second relegated team. The match was played on 8 May 2009 atHibernians Ground. However, in the wake of a corruption scandal, both Hamrun Spartans and Msida Saint-Joseph were returned to the Premier League.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Msida Saint-Joseph | 1–1 (aet,p. 4–5) | Tarxien Rainbows |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hibernians | 26 | |
| 2 | Tarxien Rainbows | 23 | |
| 3 | Marsaxlokk | 17 | |
| 4 | Valletta | 15 | |
| 5 | Msida Saint-Joseph | 13 | |
| 6 | Qormi | 12 | |
| 7 | Marsaxlokk | 11 | |
| 8 | Hibernians | 9 | |
| Hamrun Spartans | |||
| Sliema Wanderers | |||
| Goals total | 387 | ||
| Matches total | 132 | ||
| Average per match | 2.93 | ||