 The competition is made up of NSW-based clubs and includes both junior representative teams of the elite National Rugby League (NRL) and clubs and academies that do not field teams in the NRL competition.The competition is named after Harold Matthews, a Balmain Tigers secretary who later was appointed as manager of the Australian Test squad and later went on to become secretary of the NSWRL and ARL.In 2019, 15 clubs fielded teams in the NSWRL UNE Harold Matthews Cup.