Formed in 2005, the A-League is the current top level league competition in Australia.
The National Soccer League, or NSL, was the former National Soccer competition in Australia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL ran for an eventful 28 seasons from its start in 1977, until its demise in 2004. In 2005, it was succeeded by the A-League. The competition was also known by various names including the Philips Soccer League, Coca-Cola Soccer League, Ericsson Cup and briefly during the mid-1990s the A-League.
Some teams were in existence before the NSL and changed their name or folded. Other teams have changed their names since the NSL was disbanded.
