The Sigerson Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideachais Cumann Lúthchleas Gael (CLG), the GAA's Higher Education Council.

There was no intervarsity Gaelic sports competition[2] until George Sigerson, Professor of Zoology at University College Dublin, physician, and literary figure[3][2] offered up a trophy in 1911.

[citation needed] As society in general changed with time, and more and more people began to enter third-level education, the number of colleges and universities grew rapidly.

[citation needed] Tralee's entry to the competition proved especially fruitful when they won successive titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

The colleges in the north have gained a new confidence in the competition, and with a whole raft of new participants joining in recent years, the trophy is now harder won than ever.

[citation needed] The GAA Higher Education Cups are currently sponsored by the Electric Ireland[6] who follow on from The Irish Daily Mail, Ulster Bank, Datapac, Bus Éireann and Independent.ie as investors in Ireland's premier Higher Education GAA sports competitions.

[citation needed] Mick Raftery (UCG & Mayo/Galway) holds the record as an eight-time Sigerson Cup winner, 1933–41.

As a consequence of the Sigerson Cup function at the Dublin University Boat Club, Islandbridge, in February 1990 which descended into an 'orgy of destruction', the CAO decided to scrap the three-day finals weekend format to avoid any recurrence of such chaotic behaviour.

In 1991/92, the quarter-finals were run off separately from the semi-finals and final, the latter being played over a two-day Sigerson weekend; the same format was used in 1992/93.

† New University of Ulster Unpublished list of playing captains kindly provided by Dónal McAnallen.