By Alex Molina / amolina@eurohoops.net
A potential shift in Spanish basketball was announced today, with the creation of the U League, a new U22 competition which will start taking place in Spain in the 2025-26 season.
The Spanish Basketball Federation joined forces with the ACB, the CSD (Certified Basketball Association of Spain), and the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports to announce this new ecosystem in the landscape of Spanish basketball.
Spain’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports, Pilar Alegria, commented on the news. “The creation of this competition is a historic event because it represents the arrival of a transformative project with many positive components,” she said.
“It is a bridge that unites sport and training, with the aim of supporting our athletes both on and off the court. Furthermore, it was created through the initiative of the two key entities of our basketball, the ACB and the FEB, and has the backing of these institutions, confirming its commitment to continuity in the medium and long term,” Alegria continued.
The President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, Elisa Aguilar, joined her. “We are laying the foundations to protect our future, so that Spanish players can find an ecosystem in which they can develop,” she commented on the new U League, which will feature affiliate teams of the ACB.
“This is an important initiative that allows our young athletes to continue their training while playing at the highest level, to have a university experience that complements their education, and allows them to pursue a dual career alongside sports.”
“Today we are experiencing a moment that I consider historic, with the birth of an initiative that, I am sure, in many years’ time we will be able to identify as one of the keys to keeping Spain at the top of the competitive pyramid of world basketball,” Aguilar added.
PHOTO CREDIT: FEB