Since 1956, a top divisional New South Wales based league has been contested annually in various forms, with its early days remembered as Division One.

As this competition significantly reduced the teams from New South Wales to just three (Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets) these clubs were forced to return to the state leagues.

The NSW Premier League continued to be run over summer throughout this period but after the 2004–05 season reverted to a winter competition from 2006.

Sydney United went on to win this tournament defeating Tasmanian side South Hobart FC 2–0 in the final.

In 2014, premiers Bonnyrigg White Eagles failed to reach the grand final and Blacktown City FC were crowned champions.

As of 2012, all matches have been filmed and a weekly highlights package has been made available online, while the grand final has been streamed live through Football NSW since 2013.