EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and SIUE Athletics announced a groundbreaking partnership expansion with First Community Credit Union.
First Community will be featured as the exclusive jersey partner for eight of SIUE’s teams, including men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, wrestling, softball, and baseball. Terms of the deal were not announced.
The expanded relationship with First Community will provide meaningful support for the student-athlete experience at SIUE, in and out of competition.
With this announcement, SIUE becomes the first Ohio Valley Conference institution to announce a jersey partnership.
Earlier this year, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a proposal that will allow Division I sports programs to place additional commercial logos or patches on uniforms, equipment and apparel, effective Aug. 1, 2026.
As the CU Daily reported here, MSU Federal Credit Union has entered into a 10-year jersey patch sponsorship with Michigan State Athletics in which its logo will appear on all 23 Michigan State University men’s and women’s teams.
‘Doubling Down’
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with First Community Credit Union in a historic way,” said Andrew Gavin, Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics. “Our relationship with the team at FCCU has been so important to SIUE, and their interest in doubling down on that support reflects the upward trajectory of their company, our University, and our community. The support from First Community is meaningful and impactful as we invest in high-level Division I athletics in the Metro East and provide a first-class experience for our student-athletes.”
First Community Credit Union has long been a significant partner of SIUE Athletics. Most notably, in 2019, SIUE and FCCU announced a naming rights partnership for First Community Arena. First Community Arena is the home of the Cougars’ basketball, volleyball, and wrestling programs and welcomes thousands annually for SIUE’s Commencement ceremonies.
‘Jumped at the Chance’
“We jumped at the chance to have our logo on the uniforms, but it is more than that,” FCCU President CEO Glenn D. Barks said in a statement. “It is about our investment in SIUE and our local presence. This partnership builds on our commitment to the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon community. We already have two branch locations in Glen Carbon and an ATM in First Community Arena, and we’re excited to strengthen our presence on campus. We are not new to the St. Louis Metro East. We have been here for decades, and we are committed to staying here, having just opened a new, full-service branch in O’Fallon and planning to open an Illinois call center this fall. For us, it is all about our members. We want to meet them where they live, work, and spend their time. We are proud to support SIUE because we believe in what they are doing, and their athletic program is a huge part of that.”
First Community Credit Union said its brand visibility will increase on campus and in the community, and it will exclusively have a presence at New Student Convocation, hosted each August at First Community Arena.
Additionally, community members will see FCCU’s support beginning this fall with the Edwardsville YMCA’s Junior Cougars programming.
Other Uniform Patch Deals
Separately, Ohio State announced it will become the latest school to feature a sponsorship patch on its jerseys, adding the Chase Bank logo to every uniform across the school’s 36 sports. The deal is worth around $17 million a year, according to a source with knowledge of the deal but is not able to speak publicly about its details, the New York Times reported.
The addition of jersey patches has swept across the nation this summer at schools including LSU, Memphis, Wisconsin and more. Illinois recently agreed to a five-year, $30 million deal with Busey Bank to feature its logo,
