Breaking gender stereotypes will be the ultimate objective when the 56th season of the Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA) fires off this Saturday at the Makati Coliseum.

With the theme of “Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies,” host Assumption College calls on 15 other member schools to use the league as a platform to break gender stereotypes.

The opening ceremony will be at 10 a.m. followed by basketball matches featuring Assumption College against Assumption-Antipolo at 1:30 p.m. University of Santo Tomas-Angelicum College against St. Jude Catholic School at 2:30 p.m., and Centro Escolar University against University of Makati at 4:30 p.m.

“We celebrate not only the athletic skill, but also the courage, determination and trailblazing spirit of women. Our theme this year is more than a slogan. It is a call to action,” Assumption president Sr. Irene Cecile Torres, R.A., said in a press conference last Wednesday.

“It unites us that every time we step into the arena, we are not just playing for ourselves, we are also paving the way for others. We are breaking stereotypes and proving that women belong in every field of the arena.”