Arlington, Texas ? The Western Athletic Conference is back in business in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — only not in football.

Having lost TCU and SMU years ago, the WAC returned Thursday by adding one of the lesser-known institutions in the region, Texas-Arlington.

WAC officials approached UTA two weeks ago, and everything clicked. The final step came Thursday with the board of regents for the University of Texas system voting to accept an invitation.

The WAC is going through a major renovation. With Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada leaving after the upcoming season, membership was down to only five schools before a recruiting effort that has landed Seattle, Denver, Texas State and Texas-San Antonio, and now UTA for membership starting in the 2012-13 school year.

Only seven of those 10 members play football, with UTA among those that don’t. WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said he’ll be looking for two more football playing schools in hopes of having a 12-team league with nine football programs. He’s also hoping that UTA considers reviving football; the Mavericks ceased their program in 1985.

For UTA, jumping from the Southland Conference to the WAC is part of a decade-long campaign to raise the school’s stature in every way, UTA President James D. Spaniolo said.

UTSA and Texas State also are going from the Southland to the WAC.