WNCAA Season 56 Opens, Puts Varsity Pickleball on the Table

Credits to: Rappler (https://www.rappler.com/sports/wncaa-season-56-kicks-off-eyes-varsity-pickleball-2025/)

The Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA) raised the curtain on Season 56 at Makati Coliseum on Saturday, September 6, with host Assumption College–San Lorenzo leading a vibrant opening program and a full slate of weekend games.

The league also confirmed it is exploring pickleball as a future event. WNCAA chairperson Vivian Manila said member schools are being consulted on facilities and gear requirements. “We are still asking the schools, but we are looking to add pickleball in one of our events in the coming seasons,” Manila noted, adding, “We just need the courts and equipment, like paddles, for this to be done.”

Pickleball has surged at the recreational level nationwide, yet it remains absent from the UAAP and NCAA calendars. A WNCAA rollout would give women student-athletes a clear varsity pathway in the sport and could accelerate campus adoption, aligning with the fast-growing momentum of pickleball in Asia (https://www.pickle.asia/).

While growth is a priority, Manila cautioned that the league isn’t ready to stage Olympic disciplines such as weightlifting and gymnastics. “I don’t think we are ready as a league yet to host such events. I don’t think the schools are ready yet, considering their facilities,” she said. The comment follows Philippine Sports Commission chair Patrick “Pato” Gregorio’s call in July for collegiate leagues to consider adding more Olympic sports.

Season 56 carries the theme “Breaking Barriers, Building Legacy.” “We are breaking stereotypes and proving that women belong in every field,” said Sister Irene Cecile Torres, president of Assumption College.

Pickleball’s footprint in the Philippines and across Asia—keeps widening through club play, campus groups, and community courts. By studying the sport now, the WNCAA places women’s varsity athletes within that broader regional movement of pickleball Asia (https://www.pickle.asia/), connecting local campuses to a continental surge in participation.