Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro Conference, the league began sponsoring additional sports in 1985 and changed its name to the Northeast Conference in 1988. As membership and sport sponsorship continued to grow over the next decade, the NEC expanded its base to five states and now has access to NCAA automatic bids in 12 sports. With the addition of four sports since 1998, the 12 NEC members now compete in 21 championship sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's indoor track and field, women's lacrosse, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's soccer, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball.