Massachusetts Pirates Launch Inaugural Season Opener of Indoor Football at DCU Center in Worcester

HANOVER, Mass. - March 27, 2018 - PRLog -- .The Massachusetts Pirates, the state's professional indoor football team, will open their inaugural season at 7 pm on Saturday, April 7, 2018 when they play the Maine Mammoths at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Kid Ink, the nationally recognized rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Los Angeles will perform at halftime of the season opener. New England Patriots Defensive Ends Derek Rivers and Deatrich Wise Jr. will make appearances at the game. The family-friendly venue will also feature the premier performance of the Pirate Nation Dance Team.

A member of the National Arena League, the Massachusetts Pirates will play all on their home games at the DCU in Worcester. The regular season will run through Saturday, August 4, 2018. Ninety percent of the Massachusetts Pirates roster have previously signed National Football League contracts and many of the players come for some of the biggest Division 1 college programs in the country.

Head Coach Ameer Ismail will lead the talented team of players. He is originally from Lansing Michigan and graduated from Holland West Ottawa High School.  Ismail played at Western Michigan State University where he was a DI All-American, Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and two time 1^st team All MAC selection. He led the nation in sacks with 17 and tackles for loss with 26. He is the school and. conference single-season sack record holder in both categories. He holds the NCAA record with 6.0 sacks in a 41-27 win over Ball State University. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science & Physiology, as well as a Master's Degree in Sports Management & Administration.

As a professional player, Ismail spent some time in the NFL as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent time in the AFL with the Jacksonville Sharks, and the Milwaukee Mustangs but ended up making a name for himself in the IFL. He played 3 seasons for the Tri-Cities Fever (2010), Bloomington Edge (2012) and Chicago Slaughter (2013), earning two First Team All-IFL honors and was the 2012 IFL Defensive Player of the Year with a record 167 tackle season in only 12 games. In total, he recorded 357 tackles, 14 sacks, 6 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, 8 blocked kicks. Ismail is also an IFL Hall of fame finalist.

Joining Coach Ismail is Offensive Coordinator Anthony "AP" Payton enters his tenth coaching season in 2018 after spending last year with former Spokane Empire of the Indoor Football League as the quarterbacks and wide receiver coach, the same franchise that current Massachusetts Pirates Head Coach Ameer Ismail served as defensive coordinator for during the 2016 IFL season. Before joining Spokane, Payton spent the 2016 season with the Portland Steel of the Arena Football League which marked his return to the sidelines. Mark Konopka has been named the Offensive Line Coach and Sergion Gilliam has been named as the Defensive Backs Coach.

"We have an incredible lineup of talent from our coaches to our players and we look forward to an exciting season of football," said CEO Hassan Yatim. "Massachusetts is ready for this first class experience of Arena Football and we invited everyone to enjoy the game as well as the rest of the season."

Individual game tickets, group tickets and season tickets are available through Tickemaster and through their website at www.masspiratesfootball.com. Official Pirates apparel is available for men, women and children on the website.

About Massachusetts Pirates

The Massachusetts Pirates are members of the National Arena League (NAL). The Pirates play all home games at the DCU Center located at 50 Foster St. Worcester, MA. 01608. Pirate Nation Season Ticket Memberships for the 2018 season are now available. Pirate Nation Memberships start as low as $90.00. To become a Pirate Nation Season Ticket member or for more information on the Massachusetts Pirates please call (508) 452-MASS (6277), email contact@masspiratesfootball.com or visit www.masspiratesfootball.com. Follow the Pirates on facebook at facebook.com/MAPirates on Instagram @mass.pirates, as well as Twitter @mass_pirates.