University Athletic Association of the Philippines

History

In 1924, seeing the need to organize collegiate sports and set general athletic policies, Dr. Regino Ylanan (the University of the Philippines Physical Education Director) met with representatives of Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle College, San Beda College, National University, University of Manila, University of Santo Tomas, and Institute of Accounts (now Far Eastern University) to discuss possibilities of forming an athletic organization, which eventually became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

In 1930, the University of the Philippines sponsored an experimental meet of the "Big 3" of the league (NU, UP, UST) on basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, swimming, athletics, boxing, and tennis.

The following year (1931), the NCAA Board of Directors divided the meet into three divisions to put competition on a fairer basis and to stimulate athletics among a greater number.

In March 1932, NU, UP, and UST formally seceded from the NCAA. Led by UP's Candido C. Bartolome, NU's Leon Tirol and UST's Fr. Silvestre Sancho, OP, the move was made to put competitions on equal footing, to increase amateur athletic competitions and to separate the universities from the college members of the league. On April 6, the "Big 3 League" was born. On August 14, the "Big 3" Association was inaugurated with a meet that starts with basketball. Other events were baseball, football, volleyball, relays, athletics, swimming and tennis.

In 1935, UP did not participate in the "Big 3 League" because of mass intramurals at the state university. NU and UST held the meet with FEU (formerly Institute of Accounts) taking UP's place.

On September 27, 1938, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association and the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF), then the highest sports body in the country, encouraged the original "Big 3 League" and FEU to form a permanent sports association, thus the University Athletic Association of the Philippines was established. Events included were basketball, baseball, football, women's volleyball, swimming and athletics. UP bagged three titles (baseball, volleyball, athletics). UST topped in football and swimming and FEU triumphed in basketball.

In 1941, the outbreak of World War II hindered the staging of the 1941–42 UAAP with UST failing to complete its term. The UAAP competition was not held from 1942 to 1946 due to the Japanese occupation of the country which resulted in the closure of educational institutions. The UAAP competition resumed in 1947.

In 1952, University of the East, Adamson University, Manila Central University, and University of Manila were granted two-year probationary membership to the UAAP. After the two-year probationary period, UE and MCU were accepted as regular members in 1954. MCU remained until its pull-out in 1962. The other two universities (Adamson and UM) were dropped from the UAAP due to their inability to comply with league requirements.

In 1970, Adamson University reapplied for admission to the league with a two-year probationary period and in 1974, Adamson successfully hosted the 1974–75 athletic season, paving the way for its permanent membership into the league.

In 1978, the UAAP admitted Ateneo de Manila University into the league while De La Salle University joined in 1986.

In 2020, the 2019–20 competition was initially intended to end in May that year. However, the competition abruptly ended early in April due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the planned 2020–21 tournament was cancelled, the first in peacetime. The league resumed the tournament on March 26, 2022 with its 84th season.

On August 20, 2024, the UAAP announced a proposal for a new 6,000-capacity indoor arena tentatively named the "Home of the UAAP". The proposed venue would be located in Pasig and is planned to open in 2027, in time for the association's 90th season. The arena will be constructed on a 1.8-hectare site across from the Bridgetowne estate, in partnership with Akari Lighting & Technology Corporation. Groundbreaking for the arena commenced on October 24, 2025. The planned seating capacity was also increased to over 8,000, and the arena will also be open to other leagues such as the PBA, PVL, and NCAA.

Logo

The previous UAAP logo features the university colors of the eight member-schools of the league in a circular formation. It also bears the year when the league was established, 1938, in the center.

The seal changes every season where the university colors of the season host is placed on the very top. Nonetheless, the arrangement of the colors never changes.

The colors of the National University (blue and gold), Far Eastern University (green and gold), University of Santo Tomas (gold and white), and the University of the Philippines (green and maroon), come first counter-clockwise. These are followed by the colors of the University of the East (red and white), Adamson University (navy blue and white), De La Salle University (green and white), and the Ateneo de Manila University (sky blue and white). The arrangement of the school colors is based from their admission in the UAAP (except for Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University's colors).

Prior to the start of UAAP Season 84 in March 2022, the league unveiled its new logo on December 17, 2021. The new logo was inspired by the Philippine traditional native sport sipa. Though the school colors arrangement was followed in reverse Season 84 (the season that the UAAP adopted the current logo), the arrangement of school colors still changes every season beginning with Season 85. The host school's colors is placed at the topmost "sipa" streak.

Member schools

The following are the member schools of the league:

Guest schools

Since UAAP Season 87, the league has signed memorandums of agreement for notable high school programs to join various events as guest teams. The Southridge Admirals have participated in three events since 2025, namely boys' football, swimming, and baseball, while the Claret Red Roosters rounded out the participating schools in boys' football.

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:30 Period = from:1938 till:2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = left:0 right:10 bottom:60 top:0 Legend = orientation:ver position:bottom

Colors = id:barcolor id:line value:orange id:bg value:black id:era value:gray(0.4) id:Adamson value:rgb(0.012,0.18,0.624) id:Ateneo value:rgb(0.027,0.004,0.627) id:LaSalle value:rgb(0,0.439,0.235) id:FEU value:rgb(0,0.4,0) id:NU value:rgb(0.106,0.208,0.392) id:UE value:rgb(1,0,0) id:UP value:rgb(0.482,0.067,0.075) id:UST value:rgb(0.988,0.753,0.051) id:notheld value:pink Legend: Tournaments_not_held id:suspended value:gray(0.25) Legend: Suspended id:Former value:gray(0.65) Legend: Former_member

BarData =

1. barset name MUST begin with a number barset:1FEU barset:1NU barset:1UP barset:1UST barset:1Adamson barset:1MCU barset:1UE barset:1UM barset:1Ateneo barset:1LaSalle barset:1Era

PlotData= width:20 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) fontsize:M anchor:from

barset:1FEU color:FEU from:1938 till:end textcolor:white text:FEU (1938–present) barset:break

barset:1NU color:NU from:1938 till:end textcolor:white text:NU (1938–present) barset:break

barset:1UP color:UP from:1938 till:end textcolor:white text:UP (1938–present) barset:break

barset:1UST color:UST from:1938 till:end text:UST (1938–present) barset:break

barset:1Adamson color:oceanblue from:1952 till:1954 text:Adamson (1952–54, 1970–present) barset:break color:oceanblue from:1970 till:1994 barset:break color:suspended from:1994 till:1995 barset:break color:oceanblue from:1995 till:end barset:break

barset:1MCU color:former from:1952 till:1962 text:MCU (1952–62) barset:break

barset:1UE color:UE from:1952 till:end textcolor:white text:UE (1952–present) barset:break

barset:1UM color:former from:1952 till:1954 text:UM (1952–54) barset:break

barset:1Ateneo color:Ateneo from:1978 till:end textcolor:white text:Ateneo (1978–present) barset:break

barset:1LaSalle color:LaSalle from:1986 till:2006 textcolor:white text:La Salle (1986–present) barset:break color:suspended from:2006 till:2007 barset:break color:LaSalle from:2007 till:end barset:break

barset:1Era color:notheld from:1941 till:1946 fontsize:S shift:(17,-4) textcolor:red text:WWII barset:break textcolor:era at:1993 fontsize:S text:Final Four era barset:break color:notheld from:2020 till:2021 fontsize:S shift:(17,-4) textcolor:red text:COVID

LineData= at:1941 color:pink width:0.2 layer:back at:1946 color:pink width:0.2 layer:back at:1993 color:era width:0.2 layer:back

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1940

Sports

Member universities compete in 19 sports. Basketball, being the most popular sport in the Philippines, is the most watched and most supported among all the sports. Volleyball and cheerdance are also equally considered marquee events in the UAAP due to growing respective fanbases and media coverage in the country.

All of these sports have Men's and Women's divisions, with the exception of baseball, in which only men participate, and softball, which is for women only. The following sports have a high school division, in which the associated high schools of the universities participate: volleyball, table tennis, chess, swimming, fencing, and athletics have Boys' and Girls' divisions. Meanwhile, baseball and football have a Boys' division only. Basketball staged Girls' division competitions starting Season 82 albeit as demo sport only. Junior High School Basketball was introduced as a demo sport in Season 86. Esports is the latest sport added by the league and was introduced in Season 87. Rapid and Blitz Chess were also introduced as demonstration sports in Season 87.

Sports calendar

Beginning with Season 78 in 2015, the league shifted its sports schedule start from July to September because of the change in the academic calendars of most of its member universities. By 2024, the calendar shifted to start by August with the debut of esports in Season 87.

First semester sports (August–December)

• [[File:Electronic sports pictogram.svg|25px]] Esports (Coed) – August (Areté Ateneo)
• [[File:Basketball pictogram.svg|25px]] Basketball (Collegiate) – October (SM Mall of Asia Arena, Araneta Coliseum, PhilSports Arena, Ynares Sports Center, UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
• [[File:Basketball pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Basketball (High School) – January (Filoil EcoOil Centre)
• [[File:Badminton pictogram.svg|25px]] Badminton (Collegiate) – October (Centro Atletico Badminton Center – Cubao, Quezon City)
• [[File:Athletics pictogram.svg|25px]] Athletics – November (PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium)
• [[File:Volleyball (beach) pictogram.svg|25px]] Beach Volleyball (Collegiate) – November (SM Mall of Asia - Sands at SM by the Bay)
• [[File:Chess pictogram.svg|25px]] Chess – November (Far Eastern University Diliman Gym, Far Eastern University Institute of Technology Gym)
• [[File:Swimming pictogram.svg|25px]] Swimming – November (Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool)
• [[File:Table tennis pictogram.svg|25px]] Table Tennis – November (Amoranto Sports Complex)
• [[File:Cheerleading pictogram.svg|25px]] Cheerdance (Coed) – December (SM Mall of Asia Arena, Araneta Coliseum)
• [[File:Taekwondo pictogram.svg|25px]] Taekwondo – November (Marikina Sports Complex Basketball Gym)
• [[File:Judo pictogram.svg|25px]] Judo – November/December (Marikina Sports Complex Basketball Gym)

Second semester sports (January–May)

• [[File:Baseball pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Baseball – February (University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball/Softball Field)
• [[File:Softball pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Softball – February (University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball/Softball Field)
• [[File:Volleyball (indoor) pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Volleyball (Collegiate) – February (Filoil EcoOil Centre, PhilSports Arena, Mall of Asia Arena, Araneta Coliseum)
• [[File:Volleyball (indoor) pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Volleyball (High School) – February (Adamson University Gym – Ermita, Malate)
• [[File:Football pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Football – February (University of the Philippines Diliman Football Stadium, Rizal Memorial Stadium)
• [[File:Fencing pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Fencing – February (UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
• [[File:Tennis pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] Tennis – February (Rizal Memorial Tennis Center)
• [[File:3x3 basketball pictogram.svg|25px|link=]] 3x3 – April (Ayala Malls Manila Bay Activity Center)

Rivalries

Adamson–Ateneo rivalry

Adamson and Ateneo The Adamson Soaring Falcons and the Ateneo Blue Eagles did not have a well-known rivalry, but Adamson ended a 13-year, 29-match losing streak against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 74 basketball tournaments when they defeated Ateneo in the last game of the elimination round and denied the Blue Eagles of a thrice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals. Their rivalry, also referred to as the "Battle of the Birds", began in 2010 when they met in the finals of the Philippine Collegiate Championship League, a year before Adamson denied Ateneo a sweep of the elimination rounds of the UAAP Season 74 men's basketball tournament.

While Adamson and Ateneo's UAAP men's basketball rivalry was rekindled by their semifinal matchup in UAAP Season 85, both notably competed in the playoffs of women's volleyball in UAAP Seasons 75, 76 and 84, with Ateneo prevailing in all mentioned matchups and, in the latter case, ousting Adamson from contention for the Final Four round. In 2023, however, Adamson pulled off an upset by defeating the defending champions, Ateneo, during their matchup in the first round of the eliminations, before facing off against each other in the fourth seed playoff. Ateneo eventually prevailed in the do-or-die playoff to extend their UAAP men's basketball semifinals appearance streak to its ninth season. In 2024, Adamson eliminated eighth-seeded Ateneo during the latter's weakest tournament performance since clinching the first ever season sweep in the Final Four era of UAAP men's basketball in 2019 to force their third consecutive do-or-die playoff for the fourth seed against University of the East, which it eventually won for its recent UAAP men's basketball semifinals appearance.

Adamson–UP rivalry

Adamson and UP While both Adamson University and the University of the Philippines jointly figured multiple times in the softball championship rounds since the tournament's Final Four playoffs format introduction in the UAAP in 1995, the rivalry gained mainstream attention when Adamson had the twice-to-beat advantage against UP in the UAAP Season 81 men's basketball semifinals. During that season, UP and Adamson were the only remaining schools that had yet to compete in the men's basketball championship round in the UAAP in the Final Four era. After losing twice in the elimination rounds, UP defeated Adamson in two games, including the overtime in the do-or-die match, to pose their first appearance in the UAAP Finals in any of the league's marquee events in the 21st century. Both schools have regularly appeared in the men's basketball playoff stages since 2022.

Ateneo–La Salle rivalry

Ateneo and La Salle Main article: Ateneo–La Salle rivalry

The rivalry between Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University, widely regarded as the Philippines' foremost collegiate rivalry for decades, has resulted in sold-out games (especially in men's basketball and women's volleyball, the latter of which both schools hold the current all-time record for the longest joint UAAP Finals appearance from 2012 to 2017) that attract several public figures in attendance, including politicians, movie stars, and foreign diplomats. It is also the foremost school rivalry in the UAAP since La Salle joined the UAAP from the NCAA in 1986. However, the rivalry dates back to the time when both schools were playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association from 1924 until Ateneo transferred to the UAAP in 1978.

Ateneo–UP rivalry

Ateneo and UP Main article: Battle of Katipunan

A rivalry between the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines, the country's two highest-ranked academic institutions for decades, existed even before the formation of the NCAA and UAAP. Students of UP would troop from Padre Faura to the Ateneo campus in Intramuros to play basketball with the Ateneans, which led to Ateneo forming the first organized cheering squad and pep band in the Philippines and what is now known as the Blue Babble Battalion. This would later become UAAP's "Battle of Katipunan" when both universities transferred to their respective campuses along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, and when the two schools began competing in the UAAP.

While both schools featured in the UAAP championship games for other events like men's football, the now-dubbed "Battle of Katipunan" garnered nationwide attention for the first time in UAAP history when third-seeded UP Fighting Maroons, after ending a 21-year long drought of Final Four appearance, overcame second-seeded Adamson Soaring Falcons' twice-to-beat advantage to advance to the finals for the first time since their 1986 championship to face defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles in men's basketball in 2018. Ateneo won the championship in Season 81 in 2018 via sweep, and Season 85 in 2022 via do-or-die game. The Fighting Maroons ended the Blue Eagles' all-time UAAP men's basketball record 39-game win streak, and won the title via do-or-die game in Season 84 in 2022, before defeating them in the Final Four the following year to end Ateneo's six consecutive seasons of UAAP Finals appearances and podium finishes from 2016 to 2022.

FEU–La Salle rivalry

FEU and La Salle The rivalry was sparked after the UAAP Season 54 Men's Basketball Finals in 1991 when La Salle's final game win was protested by FEU after a Green Archer was admitted into the playing court after being disqualified. The UAAP Board upheld the protest and ordered the replay. The protest was taken up by FIBA, the highest international governing body in basketball. FIBA and the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) supported La Salle's stand on the issue. La Salle did not show up, claiming to have won legitimately, and FEU was awarded the trophy by default. La Salle then had their victory parade pass through all UAAP schools – when they passed through the FEU campus, the motorcade was bombarded with debris.

The rivalry between FEU and La Salle has produced several momentous scenes and drama in UAAP Basketball history. FEU and La Salle faced each other in the UAAP Finals in 2004 and 2005, with the Green Archers prevailing in 2004 and the Tamaraws winning the year afterwards. However, La Salle's 2004 championship was forfeited and handed to FEU instead after a controversial ineligibility issue, which also caused La Salle's suspension in 2006.

FEU and La Salle have met seven times in the finals of UAAP women's volleyball, most recently in 2018 when La Salle swept FEU en route to their 11th overall championship. La Salle has won three crowns over FEU in their head-to-head finals matchups, while FEU, having the most number of volleyball championship titles in the country (with a total of 29 titles in the league), has won four crowns over La Salle, most recently in Season 65 (2002). La Salle holds the record of having the longest streaks of appearances in the volleyball tournaments in the UAAP Final Four, ongoing since 2009, and in the UAAP Finals, lasting for 10 consecutive years from 2009 to 2018.

FEU–UE rivalry

FEU and UE Main article: Battle of the East

The rivalry between Far Eastern University and University of the East started in the 1950s. Tagged as the "Battle of the East", these two schools, along with UST, have the winningest basketball squads in the league (FEU having won 20 basketball championships while UE having won 18 titles).

La Salle–NU rivalry

La Salle and NU Since 2022, the De La Salle Lady Spikers and NU Lady Bulldogs have become frequent finalists in UAAP Women's Volleyball, having faced each other in the finals three times in four years. In UAAP Season 84, the NU Lady Bulldogs swept the elimination rounds and faced the De La Salle Lady Spikers in the finals. The Lady Bulldogs swept the series to win their first title since Season 19, ending a 65-year drought with a perfect 16–0 record. The following season, the Lady Spikers swept the Lady Bulldogs en route to their 12th UAAP championship title. Both teams would meet again in the finals for the third time in Season 87, where the Lady Bulldogs successfully defended their title after reclaiming it the previous season.

La Salle–UP rivalry

La Salle and UP Since 2023, the De La Salle Green Archers and the UP Fighting Maroons have faced each other for three straight years in the UAAP Men's Basketball Finals, starting a new rivalry in the UAAP.

In Season 86, the Green Archers went on to win their 10th UAAP championship against the Fighting Maroons in three games during their first ever head-to-head UAAP Finals (and second overall playoffs stage) matchup. The third game of the finals drew a record 25,192 fans in attendance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In Season 87, La Salle was dethroned after losing to UP in three games in the championship series. The Fighting Maroons won their fourth UAAP championship title. The winner-take-all game between the Fighting Maroons and the Green Archers drew a record 25,248 fans inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum, resetting their joint previous record the preceding year to become the second largest in-venue attendance in any event in UAAP history after NU defeated UP and UST during the 2015 Cheerdance Competition.

In Season 88, the UP Fighting Maroons and the De La Salle Green Archers emerged as the second and fourth seed teams respectively, heading into the Final Four. UP eliminated the third-seeded UST Growling Tigers in one game, while La Salle swept the top-seeded NU Bulldogs to return to the finals to face the Fighting Maroons for the third consecutive year. The De La Salle Green Archers dethroned the UP Fighting Maroons during the best-of-three series, having lost Game 2 but won Games 1 and 3 to claim their 11th UAAP championship. The Green Archers became the second fourth seed team to win the title after the NU Bulldogs from UAAP Season 77 in 2014. This also marked the fifth consecutive season where the UAAP Finals series reached a do-or-die third game – the longest such streak so far in the league's Final Four history.

La Salle–UST rivalry

La Salle and UST Main article: La Salle–UST rivalry

Both were known for their numerous basketball championship matches in the 1990s with UST winning four straight titles from 1993 to 1996, the last three of which were at the expense of the Green Archers at the UAAP Finals. In 1997, La Salle eliminated UST in the semifinals to deny the Growling Tigers of a fifth consecutive championship title. In 1999, La Salle defeated the Growling Tigers to win the basketball crown and achieved their own 4-peat championship streak from 1998 to 2001. Their basketball rivalry diminished in latter years because of UST's decline.

It became a celebrated rivalry in women's volleyball, as the Lady Spikers and the Tigresses met three times in the championship of the Shakey's V-League tournament. UST won the first and La Salle winning the latter two. The Tigresses have won six championships while the Lady Spikers have three under their belt.

The women's volleyball rivalry was carried over to the UAAP. The DLSU Lady Spikers and the UST Tigresses met in the UAAP Finals for two consecutive seasons – Season 72 (won by UST) and Season 73 (won by La Salle). While UST struggled in the tournament during the mid-2010s, both schools met in the semifinals in Seasons 79 and since Season 85, where La Salle won in Seasons 79, 85 and 87, and UST won in Seasons 81 and 86. Notably, in Season 81, UST ended La Salle's decade-long streak of finals appearances (running from 2009 to 2018). It was the longest in the Final Four era of UAAP volleyball.

UP–UST rivalry

UP and UST Main article: UP–UST rivalry

The cheerdance rivalry between the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas has been one of the most productive rivalries in any event in UAAP history. Since the inception of the cheerdance, UP and UST possess the best winning records, dominating the top podium finishes between the 1990s and early 2010s, including consecutive joint podium finishes by both schools from 1999 to 2008. Both schools' pep squads are famous for their stunts and high-energy performances. UST has won eight cheerdance titles which included five straight victories from 2002 to 2006, while UP has won eight cheerdance titles and completed podium finishes for a total of 20 years, the longest such streak for the event. Since 2010, the rivalry turned into a friendly one as both UP and UST supporters cheered their school cheers during the announcement of winners.

Although matches between these universities have not reached a rivalry status in sporting events outside of cheerdance, the battle between their respective teams may be referred to as "Separation of Church and State". UST is the sole pontifical university in the country wherein Pope Pius XII gave it the title "The Catholic University of the Philippines". UP, on the other hand, has been declared by the Philippine government as the country's "national university".

The popularity of the rivalry between the two universities' cheerdance teams diminished in the late 2010s as a result of the rise of National University and Adamson University. It gained greater prominence when the two teams competed against each other in the UAAP men's basketball semifinals in 2019, 2024 and 2025. The Growling Tigers overcame the twice-to-beat Fighting Maroons in the former, while the Fighting Maroons won over the Growling Tigers in the latter two to enter the UAAP Finals.

UAAP championships

• Overall
• 3x3 basketball (since 2018)
• Athletics (since 1938)
• Badminton (since 1995)
• Baseball (since 1938)
• Basketball (since 1938)
• Beach volleyball (since 2006)
• Cheerdance (since 1994)
• Chess (since 1978)
• Esports (since 2024)
• Fencing (since 1997)
• Football (since 1938)
• Formation dance (2016–2023)
• Judo (since 1995)
• Softball (since 1953)
• Street dance (since 2011)
• Swimming (since 1938)
• Table tennis (since 1978)
• Taekwondo (since 1994)
• Tennis (since 1949)
• Volleyball (since 1938)

Media

BBC and IBC era (1975–1989)

The UAAP's first media was with the Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 1975 to 1984. The Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) also had a coinciding deal from 1979 to 1989.

Silverstar era (1989–1999)

In 1989, Radio Philippines Network (RPN) began their partnership with the UAAP. Two years later in 1991, Louis Kierulf agreed to a deal with the UAAP to put their entire basketball championship on television through Silverstar Communications. Silverstar would continue broadcasting the UAAP until 1999, during which the broadcasts moved to People's Television Network (PTV) in 1994.

ABS-CBN era (2000–2020)

Main article: ABS-CBN coverage of the UAAP

In 2000, ABS-CBN, through their sports division, became the UAAP's next media partner for the new millennium.

Studio 23 first broadcast the games from 2000 to 2013 before getting replaced by its successor S+A for the rest of the deal. ABS-CBN also broadcast select games in the 2000s and again from 2010 to 2020. Other channels from the network that also broadcast games were Balls (2009–2015) and Liga (2018–2020).

The ABS-CBN deal ended in 2020 as a result of the network's shutdown.

Cignal era (2020–present)

In search of a new media partner, the association entered a deal with Cignal TV to broadcast games through One Sports. The new deal also included the establishment of the UAAP Varsity Channel, a dedicated channel for the association similar to the Philippine Basketball Association's PBA Rush, which is also owned by Cignal. The initial five-year deal was signed in 2020 during the cancelled Season 83 (2020–21) and took into effect beginning with the following Season 84 (2021–22). In 2025, the two parties signed a five-year extension, meaning that the partnership is currently set to expire after Season 93 (2030–31).

TV5 also broadcast a selection of games in Season 84, while Pilipinas Live serves as the league's streaming partner. RPTV also broadcast the Finals games in Season 87.

Notes

References

References

1. (July 2025). "Ateneo Branding Guide". [[Ateneo de Manila University]] Marketing & Communications Office}}{{dead link.
2. (March 15, 2022). "A look back at NCAA's 97 years of being home to legends, icons of Philippines sports".
3. (September 14, 2024). "NCAA turns 100: The history of the Philippines' oldest collegiate sports league".
4. (April 9, 2009). "From fraternity to glamour league". The Varsitarian.
5. (October 8, 2016). "The Evolution of the UAAP". De La Salle University.
6. (September 16, 2018). "UAAP Fun Facts". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
7. (August 31, 2019). "Timeline: UAAP history". Inquirer.
8. (April 7, 2020). "UAAP cancels Season 82 over coronavirus".
9. (April 7, 2020). "UAAP board cancels Season 82 due to COVID-19 pandemic".
10. (April 7, 2020). "UAAP cancels Season 82 amid extended community quarantine".
11. (December 11, 2020). "UAAP cancels Season 83 over 'health and safety' reasons".
12. (December 11, 2020). "UAAP cancels Season 83 for 'health and safety' reasons".
13. (December 11, 2020). "UAAP cancels Season 83".
14. (December 11, 2020). "UAAP cancels Season 83 in consideration of 'health and safety of the student-athletes'".
15. (February 25, 2022). "UAAP Season 84 to begin March 26".
16. (February 25, 2022). "UAAP set to open Season 84 on March 26".
17. (February 25, 2022). "UAAP Season 84 kicks off on March 26 after two-year hiatus due to COVID-19".
18. (August 20, 2024). "New ground: UAAP unveils proposed Pasig arena for 2027 and beyond".
19. (August 20, 2024). "State-of-the-art 'Home of the UAAP' set to rise in 2027".
20. (August 20, 2024). "UAAP 'home' to rise in 2027".
21. (August 20, 2024). "UAAP partners with Akari to build own stadium in Pasig".
22. (August 20, 2024). "UAAP, Akari forge landmark partnership to build 'Home of the UAAP' in Pasig".
23. (October 24, 2025). "8,000-seat 'Home of the UAAP' set to rise in Pasig".
24. (October 25, 2025). "UAAP breaks ground on new 'home' venue".
25. (October 24, 2025). "'Home of UAAP' expands seating capacity to over 8,000".
26. (October 24, 2025). "'Home of the UAAP' also open for PBA, PVL, NCAA games".
27. (December 17, 2021). "UAAP unveils new logo ahead of March 2022 season launch".
28. (December 17, 2021). "UAAP unveils 'sipa' inspired logo for Season 84".
29. (December 17, 2021). "LOOK: UAAP's new logo for season 84 is inspired by the sport 'sipa'".
30. "History". Adamson University.
31. "History". Ateneo de Manila University.
32. "Overview". De La Salle University.
33. "The FEU Story". Far Eastern University.
34. "History".
35. "A Brief History of the University of the East". University of the East.
36. "About UP". University of the Philippines.
37. "History". University of Santo Tomas.
38. Carmen, Lorenzo del. (2025-01-17). "Claret, Southridge brace for tough UAAP boys' football debuts".
39. jisaga0269. (2024-11-28). "UAAP welcomes Claret, Southridge for Season 87 HS football tournament".
40. (August 8, 2019). "UAAP to hold Girls' Basketball as Demo Sport for Season 82".
41. (March 7, 2024). "UAAP breaks new ground with inaugural junior high school basketball tournament".
42. (March 8, 2024). "UAAP debuts junior high school hoops".
43. (May 30, 2024). "Finally, UAAP Embraces Esports".
44. (August 9, 2024). "UAAP Esports Tournament launches with NBA2K, Valorant, MLBB and all-school participation".
45. (August 16, 2024). "Esports is now part of the UAAP—and yes, they are sports".
46. (March 21, 2025). "Season 87 ushers in new era for UAAP chess with blitz, rapid formats".
47. (February 4, 2015). "UAAP 78 to open on Sept 5 – FEU athletic director".
48. (August 6, 2024). "LOOK: The UAAP is officially venturing into esports".
49. (August 9, 2024). "Debuting esports to usher in UAAP Season 87".
50. (November 10, 2023). "Ateneo-Adamson set for crucial matchup".
51. (April 27, 2022). "Ateneo-Adamson: A deeper basketball rivalry than you think".
52. (October 7, 2023). "UAAP: Magbuhos buzzer-beater lifts Adamson over Ateneo".
53. (October 7, 2023). "UAAP 86 MBB: Magbuhos drains the winner as Adamson stuns Ateneo in OT".
54. (November 22, 2023). "UAAP: Do-or-die for Ateneo, Adamson".
55. (November 22, 2023). "Ateneo, Adamson dispute last F4 spot".
56. (November 22, 2023). "Ateneo preserves Final Four streak, shoots down Adamson in KO match".
57. (November 22, 2023). "Ateneo whips Adamson in sudden death to reach Final Four vs UP Maroons".
58. (November 23, 2024). "Still alive: Adamson blasts also-ran Ateneo, sets up playoff for 4th vs UE".
59. (November 27, 2024). "UAAP: Adamson eliminates UE to catch last bus to Season 87 Final 4".
60. (November 28, 2018). "UP Maroons heads to first UAAP finals stint in 32 years, knocks out Adamson".
61. (November 28, 2018). "UP they go: Maroons end decades-long finals absence".
62. (October 26, 2015). "Dissecting Rivalries La Salle versus Ateneo, UST, and FEU".
63. (August 4, 2010). "UAAP Basketball: 10 Things About the Ateneo-La Salle Rivalry You May Not Know".
64. (October 4, 2023). "When Blue and Green Clash: The Roots of the Iconic Ateneo-La Salle Rivalry".
65. Bartholomew, Rafael. (September 23, 2007). "A Nation's Passion Lives in a Rivalry of Green vs. Blue".
66. (November 5, 2007). "The Explainer: La Salle Ateneo Rivalry".
67. (September 11, 2017). "A Brief History of the Ateneo vs De La Salle rivalry".
68. (September 9, 2017). "A UAAP fan's guide to rivalries".
69. [http://www.admu.edu.ph/?p=490 Ateneo Songs and Cheers] [http://www.admu.edu.ph/ Ateneo de Manila University official website]. May 2, 2006
70. (November 30, 2018). "The history of the 'Battle of Katipunan' on and off the courts".
71. (December 1, 2018). "The Battle of Katipunan: A finals series 40 years in the making".
72. (December 1, 2018). "May the best 'Katipuneros' win".
73. (December 5, 2018). "The UP-Ateneo Rivalry Goes Back to the 1920s".
74. (November 30, 2018). "She says, he says: Breaking down the Ateneo-UP finals series".
75. (December 5, 2018). "Blue Eagles foil Fighting Maroons, as Ateneo repeats as UAAP champs".
76. (December 5, 2018). "Ateneo wrecks U.P., clinches back-to-back UAAP titles".
77. (December 19, 2022). "Ateneo holds off UP to regain UAAP men's basketball crown".
78. (December 19, 2022). "UAAP 85 MBB: Ateneo survives UP storm, regains throne".
79. (May 1, 2022). "UP slays mighty Ateneo, ends 4-year, 39-game win streak".
80. (May 1, 2022). "Brave UP Maroons put an end to Ateneo's 39-game win streak".
81. (May 13, 2022). "UP dethrones Ateneo, clinches UAAP basketball crown".
82. (May 13, 2022). "UP topples Ateneo dynasty, ends three-decade title odyssey".
83. (November 25, 2023). "UP dethrones Ateneo, books UAAP Finals return".
84. (November 25, 2023). "UP knocks off Ateneo, returns to UAAP Finals".
85. (November 25, 2023). "UP Maroons back in UAAP Finals after dethroning Ateneo Blue Eagles".
86. (October 26, 2018). "The Rewind: The Origin of the FEU-DLSU Rivalry".
87. (July 22, 2008). "Coach Franz reacts to Montinola statement".
88. (April 3, 2020). "Remember this strange end to the FEU vs La Salle finals in 1991?".
89. "Philippine UAAP – Rivalries".
90. (October 27, 2005). "DLSU head to contest UAAP ban".
91. (April 26, 2006). "De La Salle mulls move on UAAP ban".
92. (December 6, 2024). "It's been over two decades since La Salle's last triumphant title defense".
93. (April 21, 2006). "La Salle suspended for 1 year, banned from all UAAP events".
94. (April 22, 2006). "La Salle banned for one season".
95. (May 2, 2018). "Still peerless, DLSU Lady Spikers reign as 3-peat UAAP champions".
96. (May 2, 2018). "La Salle completes 3-peat, sweeps FEU".
97. (May 2, 2018). "La Salle sweeps FEU for UAAP women's volleyball 3-peat".
98. (May 2, 2018). "UAAP Volleyball: La Salle sweeps FEU to win third title in a row".
99. (May 5, 2019). "La Salle's long UAAP finals streak ends: 'You can't be at the top all the time'".
100. Mendoza, Shielo. "FEU Tamaraws". Yahoo Southeast Asia.
101. (March 22, 2023). "La Salle, NU renew burning rivalry".
102. (March 24, 2023). "UAAP volleyball: Brewing rivals La Salle, NU headline quadruple-header".
103. (May 3, 2025). "Modern day rivalry? NU, DLSU meet for third time in four years".
104. (May 10, 2025). "National U-La Salle UAAP title trilogy by the numbers".
105. (June 21, 2022). "NU ends 65-year women's volleyball title search in rare 16-0 season sweep".
106. (June 21, 2022). "NU Lady Bulldogs sweep season to end 65-year drought for UAAP volleyball title".
107. (May 14, 2023). "La Salle completes comeback vs NU, clinches title in 5-set marathon".
108. (May 14, 2023). "La Salle storms back, completes revenge on NU for UAAP 85 crown".
109. (May 14, 2023). "La Salle caps off dominant Season 85 with reverse sweep of NU for 12th title".
110. (May 14, 2025). "NU Lady Bulldogs sweep La Salle for back-to-back titles in UAAP women's volleyball".
111. (May 14, 2025). "UAAP: NU wins 2nd straight women’s title with sweep of La Salle".
112. (December 9, 2025). "UP–La Salle III: History, redemption, and glory at stake in UAAP trilogy".
113. (December 9, 2025). "IN NUMBERS: Supremacy on the line as UP, La Salle forge UAAP finals trilogy".
114. (December 10, 2025). "Curtains rise for UP-La Salle III".
115. (December 10, 2025). "UAAP: UP, La Salle renew rivalry in finals trilogy".
116. (December 6, 2023). "La Salle takes down UP to end 7-year UAAP title drought".
117. (December 6, 2023). "La Salle outlasts UP to become Season 86 champions".
118. (December 6, 2023). "UP-DLSU Game 3 sets UAAP basketball attendance record".
119. (December 15, 2024). "UP outlasts La Salle in Game 3 to reclaim UAAP men's basketball title".
120. (December 15, 2024). "UP Fighting Maroons are UAAP Season 87 men's basketball champs".
121. (December 15, 2024). "UP Fighting Maroons overpowers DLSU Green Archers to reclaim UAAP title".
122. (December 15, 2024). "UAAP: Game 3 between UP, La Salle draws record crowd".
123. (November 26, 2025). "Jacob Cortez heroics send La Salle to UAAP Men's Basketball Final Four, eliminate Ateneo, FEU".
124. (November 26, 2025). "La Salle completes Final Four cast, ousts Ateneo, FEU".
125. (December 17, 2025). "REDEMPTION: La Salle outlasts UP to reclaim UAAP men's basketball crown".
126. (December 17, 2025). "Archers best Maroons to reclaim UAAP men's basketball crown".
127. (December 17, 2025). "Doubts to destiny: La Salle trumps rival UP, rises from 4th seed for UAAP title".
128. (December 17, 2025). "Trilogy Ends in Green: 4th seed La Salle tops UP to reclaim UAAP Men's Basketball title".
129. (November 21, 2012). "An unspoken collegiate rivalry: DLSU vs. UST".
130. (September 29, 2013). "Back to the 90s: La Salle, UST face off in finals".
131. (April 4, 2020). "Five UAAP teams that have truly built dynasties".
132. (February 21, 2010). "La Salle, UST duel for volleyball title". findarticles.com.
133. (May 5, 2019). "UST ousts DLSU, barges into UAAP women's volleyball finals".
134. Flores, Karen. (September 16, 2010). "'UP-UST friendship' emerges after cheerdance competition". [[ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs]] abs-cbnnews.com..
135. (September 13, 2015). "UP-UST game sends netizens abuzz".
136. (September 13, 2015). "UP vs UST 'Church vs State' match evokes battles of years past".
137. "History". UST.
138. "Republic Act No. 9500".
139. (November 13, 2019). "UST Tigers outduel UP Maroons in thriller, earn shot at Ateneo in UAAP Finals".
140. (November 13, 2019). "Renzo Subido clutch trey boots out UP, books UST ticket to UAAP 82 Finals".
141. (November 13, 2019). "UST eliminates No. 2 UP, roars back into UAAP Finals vs Ateneo".
142. (November 30, 2024). "UP escapes UST to book fourth straight UAAP Finals stint".
143. (November 30, 2024). "UP outclasses UST, advances to fourth straight UAAP Men's Basketball Finals".
144. (December 3, 2025). "UP ousts UST in roller-coaster Final Four escape; La Salle survives NU".
145. (December 3, 2025). "UAAP: UP edges UST in cardiac finish to advance to 5th straight Finals".
146. Catacutan, Dodo. (September 23, 2016). "Meet the man who first put an entire UAAP basketball season on television". [[Summit Media.
147. (November 26, 2009). "A UAAP History".
148. "UAAP and Cignal forge partnership through Season Season 93".