Two members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference are adding men’s golf as a varsity sport during 2010-11.

The programs will become New Jersey City’s 16th varsity sport and William Paterson’s 13th sport. Both programs are sponsoring club teams during the coming academic year.

With the addition, William Paterson will meet Division III’s new minimum sport-sponsorship requirement of six men’s sports at institutions having an enrollment of more than 1,000 undergraduate students.

Men’s golf will become New Jersey City’s eighth men’s sport. It is the first expansion in the university’s athletics program since 2002-03, when it reinstated men’s indoor and outdoor track and field.

 “We are confident this will be a positive experience for our student-athletes and look forward to competitive success,” said Alice De Fazio, New Jersey City director of athletics.

William Paterson, which named veteran Pioneers soccer coach Brian Woods as men’s golf coach, is reinstating the sport after dropping it following the 1989 season.

“Golf is a lifelong sport, one that has shown tremendous growth in popularity over the last decade,” said Sabrina Grant, director of athletics. “I am confident, based on the degree of interest in the sport from our current student body as well as the recruiting expertise of Brian Woods, that we will be competitive from the outset.”

The schools join NJAC member Rutgers-Camden in sponsoring the sport. Rutgers-Camden competes in men’s golf as an associate member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference.