EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - When SIUE men's basketball hosts Missouri Baptist on Sunday afternoon, fans will also see a new premium seating area in First Community Arena. "The Deck" will make its official debut when the Cougars take the floor for their lone exhibition game of 2024-25.  

"The Deck", located on the west side of the arena underneath the video board, provides a bird's-eye view of the action, barstool tabletop seating, waitstaff service, and sponsor activation.  

"Our commitment to continued growth and progress includes our gameday atmosphere in First Community Arena," said Andrew Gavin, Director of Athletics. "We're excited to unveil "The Deck" in 2024-25 as a new premium area, and we're appreciative to the sponsors that have excitedly bought into this effort. I also thank our athletics staff, that continues to work hard to create and execute new initiatives."  

The 42-seat VIP section is nearly sold out due to significant interest from Cougars sponsors excited to utilize "The Deck" for employee engagement, client relations, and more.  

Supporting sponsors of "The Deck" include Chick Fritz, Country Financial (Brett Miller/Andy Winters), Deep Eddy, Donnewald, Front Office Wealth Strategies, Goldenberg, Heller, & Antognoli, P.C., Lantz Homes, Lewis Brisbois, Plocher Construction, RE/MAX Alliance (Tara Riggs/Julie Fleck).  

Limited opportunities to engage a sponsor of "The Deck" are remaining for 2024-25. If interested, please contact Associate AD/Revenue Generation Jake Sutter (jaksutt@siue.edu).