CEFCU Arena, formerly known as Redbird Arena, is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose
arena located in
Normal, Illinois, on the campus of
Illinois State University. Built in 1989, the building is notable for its use of a
Teflon-coated roof that gives off a "glow" during night events. Three
Illinois State Redbirds athletic teams use the facility as their home court:
men's basketball,
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...
, and
women's volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
.
The arena was renamed CEFCU Arena after the school and
CEFCU agreed to a 10-year naming rights deal.
Sports
Illinois State is one of just 10 college volleyball programs to draw more than 250,000 fans in the last decade.
Students who enjoy men's basketball and sit in the student section often paint their faces red and wear red T-shirts and become part of "Red Alert", the official student spirit group of Illinois State athletics.
Amenities
CEFCU Arena boasts new scoreboards installed during the 2006-2007 basketball season. The center-hung scoreboard has four-sided
HD video boards. They were initiated at the Bradley game when the court was named after ISU great
Doug Collins. For the 2011-2012 basketball season an HD video board between opposing benches courtside was installed. It was funded and named after sponsor Frontier Communications Company, that also provided new black leather chairs for players and coaches.
Miscellaneous
CEFCU Arena has hosted a variety of
Illinois High School Association events. It has been the home of the girls'
volleyball tournament since 1990 and the girls'
basketball tournament since 1992. It has also hosted the dual team portion of the state
wrestling tournament and in 2006 hosted the inaugural state competitive
cheerleading meet.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
References
External links
Redbird Arena (RBA)
{{Missouri Valley Conference basketball venue navbox
College basketball venues in the United States
College volleyball venues in the United States
Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball
Basketball venues in Illinois
Volleyball venues in Illinois
Wrestling venues in Illinois
Sports venues in Bloomington–Normal
Sports venues completed in 1989
1989 establishments in Illinois