Originally known as the Ansett Australia Summer Series for sponsorship reasons, the WNSL began in 1996 consisting of six clubs and continued through until 2004, folding alongside the National Soccer League.
The matches were played at Granville, Centennial Park, and Bankstown in Sydney, with New South Wales winning the inaugural championship.
Following this initial tournament, representatives from the sides who had participated met and formed the Australian Womens Soccer Association (AWSA).
The southern conference was represented by ACT Academy of Sports (later became Canberra Eclipse), ITC Victoria (later became Victoria Vision), SA Sports Institute (later became Adelaide Sensation).
The award was for the best player in the WNSL, and is currently maintained in the successor competition, the W-League (now known as the A-League Women.