NEW ULM — A little more than five months since Tri-City United (TCU) announced that it will become a member of the Big South Conference for the 2024-25 school year, Belle Plaine said that they have also been accepted to the Big South Conference, also beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

Both TCU and Belle Plaine had been long-time members of the Minnesota River Conference, which will dissolve after the 2023-24 season.

The addition of both TCU and Belle Plaine makes the BSC one of the biggest conferences in the state with 15 schools.

“We are excited for the opportunity,” Belle Plaine Athletic Director John Bergs said Thursday. “There are mixed emotions as we were members of the MRC — it was a pretty ideal situation geographically with all of the teams so close. But we also realize that times are changing and competitive and comparable school sizes are important. We embrace the challenge of facing some bigger schools. But overall, we are looking forward to it.”

Bergs said that Belle Plaine had applied to the Wright County Conference, but the application was rejected.

“I think that the reason that we went there first was because of the geographic nature of it,” he said. “But competitively we play a lot of the teams in the Big South already. I have a lot of respect for the stability of the Big South and the A.D.s there. We are appreciative and comfortable for the opportunity.”

He said that the travel in the BSC is something that the people are questioning.

“But I do think in talking with some of the other coaches nad A.D.s in the Big South that some of those issues take care of themselves,” he said. “It will not be as ideal as it was from a travel standpoint, but it will be very manageable and it will be a good conference fit for us.”

Bergs did say that the potential travel for a game from Belle Plaine to Worthington or Luverne is a concern.

“From my understanding, we are not sure exactly sure how that is going to look or how the pods or divisions will be aligned — that is still a work in progress,” he said. “Those are things that need to be taken into consideration as we plan. Hopefully we are a part of that conversation.

“But we are in the same boat as TCU or Waseca. They also have considerable travel. It will be about finding balance and understanding that it is probably not going to be perfect for anyone, but we need to make this as manageable as possible. We are willing to make sure that it is acceptable for everybody.”