WOMEN’S NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (WNCAA) HISTORY
The Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA) is the country’s first and only existing tri-level league of girls/women in the country. It is a non-profit athletic organization dedicated to the development and promotion of girls / women’s sports in the Philippines.
The WNCAA presently supports a total of sixteen (16) active member schools in the National Capital Region (NC) and thirty-eight (38) Associates with (9) Board of Trustees heading the Association. All member-schools compete each year in different calendar sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Futsal, Chess, Badminton, Swimming, Taekwondo, Poomsae, Table Tennis, Tennis, Cheerleading, Street Dance and Cheer Dance.
In line with its commitment to develop girls/women’s athletic potentials from an early age, the league divides competitions into three levels-collegiate, high school, and elementary. The seven-month season starts in August, with over 2000 athletes, coaches, and officials in attendance, culminating in February of the following year with an awards banquet to honor the champions of each sports discipline as well as the over-all conference champion. Due to Pandemic and change of school calendar, the League was moved to open in September to accommodate the opening of schools.
The regular season involves member schools from Metro Manila and the nearby provinces. Expansion conferences, which are held on selected years, include visiting delegations from top schools in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, resulting in a total of thirty-eight participating schools. However, due to lack of funds, only NCR was able to sustain the expenses being incurred when running such an event.
The WNCAA was founded in Manila in 1969 out of a desire to empower girls/women with equal rights and opportunities in sports as an avenue for growth and success. The six pioneering member schools were St. Theresa’s College, Maryknoll College (now Miriam College), Philippine Women’s University, St. Stephen’s High School, Chiang Kai Shek College, and the College of the Holy Spirit-Manila.
From 1969 to 1996, the WNCAA served the needs of women’s collegiate sports, attracting the participation of more member schools. In 1997, the newly elected Board of Trustees saw the need to contribute to sports development not only at exclusive girls/women’s schools but also at the grassroots level. Armed with this Mission and Vision, that year’s Board started down the road to propelling the traditional sports league into the dynamic and progressive athletic organization that we know today.
The huge task organizing people, funds, and facilities to produce the exciting annual sports conferences fall on the shoulders of eight dedicated teachers, coaches, and school administrators who made up the governing Board of Directors.
MS. MARIA VIVIAN P. MANILA, a retired administrator of St. Scholastica’s College – Manila presently chairs the new WNCAA Board of Trustees. She has also served as President of the Association from 1998 up 2016. Day to day operations of the organization are directed by a three-member Secretariat headed by MS. ANGELICA DELA CRUZ of St. Benedict College Alabang now known as San Beda College Alabang.
This year, the league has grown on its mind. With ambitious plans, with additional members from Manila and the provinces. With dynamic leadership, the WNCAA will continue to dedicate its efforts to developing, rewarding, and creating awareness and support for the Filipino girls/women’s power and excellence in sports.