The number of teams increased from 12 to 16, with the inclusion of former
National Soccer League teams following the abolishment of that league in favour of the restructured
A-League. These teams included
Marconi Stallions,
Sydney Olympic,
Sydney United and
Wollongong Wolves.
Manly United were also promoted from the
NSW Super League. There was also a significant change to the format. The competition was divided into two stages. The first stage consisted of fifteen rounds with each of the sixteen teams playing each other once. The top eight sides would enter the
Champions League and the bottom sides the
Challengers League. All eight teams in each league would play a further seven matches against those from their league. All points accrued from the first stage would be retained for the second stage to determine the final table positions. Positions one to four from the
Champions League and the highest ranked from the
Challengers League would compete in the finals series. The bottom three teams in the
Challengers League were relegated for the
2006 NSW Super League season. ==Teams==