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Post by Monika on Oct 23, 2023 21:01:52 GMT -8
UPDATED 11/6/23 --
LOWELL, MA - It has been confirmed that the Massachusetts Pirates' move from the DCU Center will be to Tsongas Center at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell campus located at the city of Lowell, northwest of Boston. The agreement is described as "multi year," but does not specify how many years that may be. The Pirates
The team has sent out information to season ticket holders with Tsongas Center as their new arena. The team announced their departure two weeks ago from DCU Center in Worcester after spending its its first five seasons in the city. Owner Jawad Yatim teased that the team would remain in the state of Massachusetts and were moving to the "Greater Boston Area." At the time, Yatim stated that one remaining piece of the agreement remained, but that the team would make an official announcement, which came late today.
The Tsongas Center, named for former Massachusetts Senator and Lowell native Paul Tsongas, has a capacity of 6,000 for hockey and is the home to the UMass-Lowell River Hawks NCAA hockey team. That capacity would generally transfer to indoor football. The arena also has been host to basketball games, concerts and professional wrestling. It opened in 1998 and was renovated in 2009 after ownership of the arena was transferred from the city of Lowell to the university.
10/24/23 --
PLAINRIDGE, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates have a new home.
After playing their first five years in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Pirates will leave the central Massachusetts town beginning of the 2024 season. The team made the announcement at press conference today at Plainridge Park Casino.
Entering their sixth season and fourth in the IFL, the Pirates have called the DCU Center in Worcester their home in all five of their previous seasons. The Team started out in 2018 in the National Arena League, playing two seasons through 2019. They moved to the IFL prior to the 2021 season where they've been ever since. Massachusetts won the IFL championship (then called United Bowl at the time) in their first year in the league, 2021.
Owner Jawad Yatim spoke at the press conference to response to rumors of the move, but cited that he could not confirm the new arena of the team because the final step in the process had not been completed. He did say that the new location is within the "greater Boston area" and that it was in an area more densely populated than Worcester where there were no other professional sports teams in operation.
"From a production standpoint, we're able to do more productions out of the new venue and that was, obviously, a big part of our decision," Yatim siad. "The density of the population makes more sense for the organization and puts us more in a position to succeed. From a housing standpoint; from an office standpoint, I'd say the cost of living is a little better out there, as we're mandated to provide housing for our players. So, clearly from a business standpoint, it just made more sense for us."
He said he expects to make a final announcement as to the location within "a few days."
The Pirates, who have made the playoffs in all three of their seasons in the league, play in the Eastern Conference along with the Frisco Fighters, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, Jacksonville Sharks, Quad City Steamwheelers, Sioux Falls Storm and Tulsa Oilers. The Sharks announced their move to the IFL in August and the San Antonio Gunslingers last month. Both teams are leaving the NAL for their new league.
The league has recently released its 2024 schedule, which includes the Pirates' in their new location. The IFL season will begin in mid-March and continue through the IFL Championship Game in August.
-MMM
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Post by DiamondThief on Oct 24, 2023 13:37:55 GMT -8
Jawad seemed to give away some clues. I wonder if we can decipher where the team is moving to based on them.
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Post by Monika on Oct 24, 2023 15:31:26 GMT -8
Jawad seemed to give away some clues. I wonder if we can decipher where the team is moving to based on them. That would be a good question for Alec. |
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Post by alecs on Oct 25, 2023 19:42:03 GMT -8
Jawad seemed to give away some clues. I wonder if we can decipher where the team is moving to based on them. That would be a good question for Alec. Here's a print summary of yesterday's interview that was published on the Pirates website. A move closer to the Greater Boston area would seem to rule out MassMutual Center in Springfield (which would be going the opposite direction) as well as Amica Mutual Pavilion, which were my two best guesses. TD Garden is currently the only venue in that area hosting pro sports teams, but there are several top-name colleges that have arenas more than capable of hosting the team. Campuses such as Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern each offer solid options and fit the geographical bill. |
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Post by Monika on Oct 26, 2023 19:25:59 GMT -8
That would be a good question for Alec. Here's a print summary of yesterday's interview that was published on the Pirates website. A move closer to the Greater Boston area would seem to rule out MassMutual Center in Springfield (which would be going the opposite direction) as well as Amica Mutual Pavilion, which were my two best guesses. TD Garden is currently the only venue in that area hosting pro sports teams, but there are several top-name colleges that have arenas more than capable of hosting the team. Campuses such as Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern each offer solid options and fit the geographical bill. What about Lowell, Massachusetts in the Tsongas Arena where UMass-Lowell River's hockey team plays. We're hearing some rumblings of that. |
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Post by alecs on Oct 26, 2023 20:29:45 GMT -8
masspiratesfootball.com/news/2023/10/25/Pirates_Staying_in_Massachusetts.aspxHere's a print summary of yesterday's interview that was published on the Pirates website. A move closer to the Greater Boston area would seem to rule out MassMutual Center in Springfield (which would be going the opposite direction) as well as Amica Mutual Pavilion, which were my two best guesses. TD Garden is currently the only venue in that area hosting pro sports teams, but there are several top-name colleges that have arenas more than capable of hosting the team. Campuses such as Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern each offer solid options and fit the geographical bill. What about Lowell, Massachusetts in the Tsongas Arena where UMass-Lowell River's hockey team plays. We're hearing some rumblings of that. That could absolutely be in play. I've only ever been there once - it was on a trip last January to catch Bryant University's basketball road match against the River Hawks that turned out to be at a different location on campus. But Tsongas definitely looks more than worthy of being the future home - it seats up to roughly 6,500 patrons. I'd be looking at about an hour's drive one way if that's the call, certainly doable and only a 15-20 minute addition over what it took me on average to reach the DCU Center. |
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Post by DiamondThief on Oct 27, 2023 18:29:21 GMT -8
Three days later and no new announcement. It will be interesting to see how long the wait us before we find out something.
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Post by alecs on Oct 27, 2023 19:30:10 GMT -8
Three days later and no new announcement. It will be interesting to see how long the wait us before we find out something. Pure guess here, but I'm suspecting we'll get the result by this time next week. It wouldn't be a surprise if that's the last hurdle to clear before the league unveils the 2024 schedule. Wouldn't want a repeat of the 2022 Spokane Shock situation... |
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Post by alecs on Nov 6, 2023 16:58:03 GMT -8
masspiratesfootball.com/news/2023/10/25/Pirates_Staying_in_Massachusetts.aspxHere's a print summary of yesterday's interview that was published on the Pirates website. A move closer to the Greater Boston area would seem to rule out MassMutual Center in Springfield (which would be going the opposite direction) as well as Amica Mutual Pavilion, which were my two best guesses. TD Garden is currently the only venue in that area hosting pro sports teams, but there are several top-name colleges that have arenas more than capable of hosting the team. Campuses such as Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern each offer solid options and fit the geographical bill. What about Lowell, Massachusetts in the Tsongas Arena where UMass-Lowell River's hockey team plays. We're hearing some rumblings of that. The rumblings turned out to be correct. Just got an e-mail from the team indicating that Tsongas Center at UMass-Lowell is the new home of the Pirates, with a multi-year agreement in place. |
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