From 1983 through the 2015–16 school year, Coastal Carolina's athletic programs competed in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big South Conference, while the football team, which began play in 2003, competed in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina announced it would leave the Big South Conference following the 2015–16 school year to transition to FBS-level football and the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017.[31]