Big North Conference

The Big North Conference is a high school athletic conference in New Jersey. It is one of six North Jersey "super athletic conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) in 2009. There are 41 member schools in the Big North Conference, with all members located in either Bergen County, New Jersey.

History

As high school athletics in New Jersey grew in the 1990s and 2000s, problems began to develop in the organization of leagues and conferences. Transportation costs began to grow, as some conferences had teams from as many as four different counties competing against each other. Other conferences were losing competitive balance, as a growth in non-public school enrollment and athletic programs caused tension between non-public and public schools, with public schools accusing non-public schools of recruiting. Conferences also demanded more flexibility in scheduling, as schools felt locked into league and division schedules against opponents either too weak or too strong for true competitive balance.

The strongest tensions were found in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, where public schools who were frustrated by the competitive imbalance with non-public schools, especially Don Bosco Preparatory (Ramsey) and Bergen Catholic (Oradell) in football or Immaculate Heart Academy (Township of Washington) in girls' athletics, threatened to secede from the league.

Therefore, in 2008 the NJSIAA established a "Leagues and Conferences Realignment Committee" to discuss the need for realigning conferences and leagues throughout New Jersey. Their original proposal for schools in northern New Jersey was the creation of six super conferences from the eleven conferences then in existence. While the original proposal was not accepted as presented, it was adjusted and schools realigned yet again, to create the current system in place in New Jersey athletics.

The current realignment started in the 2010–11 school year, after a one-year transition period, when many Big North members schools were part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference. The NJSIAA had stated that the present system may only go into effect for two to three years, and after a review of the system, a reversion to the old conference alignment may be possible. Athletic Directors in the conference, however, voted in March 2011 to revise the division alignments within the conference for the 2012-2013 academic years and voted against the transfer of DePaul Catholic High School into the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Pascack Hills High School initially changed its mind about leaving the NJIC to join the Big North, but subsequently asked to be admitted. The Cowboys became the 41st member of the conference to begin the 2012-13 school year.

Current schools

Bergen County Public Schools

Bergen County Non-Public Schools

Passaic County Public Schools

Passaic County Non-Public Schools

Sports Offered

Fall Sports

* Cross Country
* Field Hockey
* Football
* Gymnastics
* Soccer
* Tennis (Girls)
* Volleyball (Girls)

Winter Sports

* Basketball (Boys)
* Basketball (Girls)
* Bowling
* Cheerleading
* Ice Hockey
* Swimming
* Winter Track
* Wrestling

Spring Sports

* Baseball
* Golf
* Lacrosse
* Softball
* Tennis (Boys)
* Track & Field
* Volleyball (Boys)

Conference Divisions: Football

As conference play started in the 2010 academic year, teams were split into six divisions for football purposes, seven divisions for every other sport."Big North Conference alignment" http://www.northjersey.com/sports/hs_sports/njsiaa_news/61411957.html, accessed September 24, 2010. The hope in developing the division system is that the system will increase rivalries and promote competitive balance while minimizing travel time between schools within each division.

Division I (United)

*Bergen Catholic
*DePaul Catholic
*Don Bosco Prep
*Paramus Catholic
*St. Joseph Regional

Division II (Liberty)

*Clifton
*Eastside (Paterson)
*Fair Lawn
*Kennedy (Paterson)
*Passaic
*Passaic County Technical Institute

Division III (Freedom)

*Bergen Tech
*Hackensack
*Paramus
*Ridgewood
*Teaneck
*Wayne Hills

Division IV (Independence)

*Northern Valley-Old Tappan
*Pascack Valley
*Passaic Valley
*Ramapo
*Wayne Valley
*West Milford

Division V (National)

*Bergenfield
*Indian Hills
*Lakeland
*Northern Highlands
*Northern Valley-Demarest
*Tenafly

Division VI (American)

*Cliffside Park
*Dumont
*Dwight-Morrow (Englewood)
*Fort Lee
*Ridgefield Park

Conference Divisions: Other Sports

United Division

*Academy of the Holy Angels
*Bergen Catholic
*DePaul Catholic
*Don Bosco Prep
*Immaculate Heart Academy
*Paramus Catholic
*St. Joseph Regional

:: Girls' athletics only
:: Boys' athletics only
:: Co-Educational

Liberty Division

*Bergen Tech
*Clifton
*Eastside (Paterson)
*Kennedy (Paterson)
*Passaic
*Passaic County Technical Institute

Freedom Division

*Hackensack
*Indian Hills
*Northern Highlands
*Paramus
*Ramapo
*Ridgewood

Independence Division

*Fair Lawn
*Lakeland
*Passaic Valley
*Wayne Hills
*Wayne Valley
*West Milford

National Division

*Bergenfield
*Northern Valley-Demarest
*Northern Valley-Old Tappan
*Pascack Valley
*Teaneck
*Tenafly

Patriot Division

*Mahwah
*Pascack Hills
*Ramsey
*River Dell
*Westwood

American Division

*Cliffside Park
*Dumont
*Dwight Morrow (Englewood)
*Fort Lee
*Ridgefield Park

References

External links

Big North Conference Website
* Tom Bergeron (Newark Star-Ledger)

accessed September 25, 2010.

League Affiliations of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association for 2012-13

{{Big North Conference

New Jersey high school athletic conferences
Sports in Bergen County, New Jersey
Passaic County, New Jersey