From Massachusetts to Florida: The Evolution of the Orlando Pirates Indoor Football Team

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Orlando Pirates are the latest professional indoor football team to call Orlando home, playing at the Kia Center. Originally established as the Massachusetts Pirates in 2018, the franchise has navigated multiple league changes and geographic relocations, including a championship-winning tenure in the Indoor Football League before moving south.

The franchise began its journey in 2018 as the Massachusetts Pirates, competing in the National Arena League. Based initially in Worcester, the team played at the DCU Center and quickly established a competitive presence, finishing their inaugural season with an 11–5 record. Despite early success, the team experienced significant turnover in leadership and league affiliation. After a brief departure from the National Arena League and a cancelled 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team joined the Indoor Football League in 2021.

The transition to the Indoor Football League marked a high point for the organization. As the league's first East Coast-based team, they secured their first championship by defeating the Arizona Rattlers in the United Bowl. Following this success, the team underwent further coaching changes, with Rayshaun Kizer taking over as head coach in 2022. During that season, the team maintained a strong 11–5 record, though they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Quad City Steamwheelers in a narrow 39–38 overtime loss.

In 2023, the team shifted its Massachusetts operations to the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. However, this arrangement was short-lived. By October 2025, the organization announced it would leave Massachusetts after seven seasons. The move to Orlando, Florida, was finalized in November 2025, marking a new chapter for the franchise. This relocation brings professional indoor football back to Orlando, a city with a history of arena football teams like the Orlando Predators, who played in various leagues between 1991 and 2024.

The team's history reflects the volatile nature of indoor football, characterized by frequent league mergers, dissolutions, and team relocations. By moving to the Kia Center, the Pirates aim to establish a new foothold in a market that has seen multiple iterations of the sport over the last three decades. Their journey from a regional Massachusetts team to a Florida-based franchise highlights the constant search for stability and fan engagement in the professional indoor football landscape.

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