Eastern Connecticut Conference

Formed in 1934 as a six-school league centered around New London, the Eastern Connecticut Conference is one of the state's oldest leagues. It has grown into a 19-school conference which dominates the eastern third of Connecticut, extending from the shoreline up the I-395 corridor. Its last major expansion was the absorption of the northern Quinebaug Valley Conference in 2000, putting it among some of the state's largest leagues. But since then the ECC's Board of Directors have struggled to satisfy its diametric personalities, particularly the relationship between its disparately large schools in the south and the small, rural schools of the north. Schools on both sides have often threatened to leave, often with others in tow, only to be swayed back by scheduling concessions and last-minute pleas. The ECC currently is divided into large and small divisions and crowns separate league champions. Its largest football members have entered into an agreement with the SCC and SWC to fill their schedules while the smallest schools have looked elsewhere. Woodstock Academy's football program plays independently. St. Bernard, Lyman Memorial and Tourtellotte play as non-league co-ops. Putnam left the league in 2010, but was readmitted for 2018 after being jettisoned during the CTC realignment. Statewide, the league excels in baseball, softball, basketball, wrestling, cross country and track and field. It's also known for producing the occasional football powerhouse.
League Website: www.eccathletics.org