As we all know the Pirates have bolted for warmer weather and a bigger market in Orlando. There has been a ton said about this move, some saying it won’t work, others elated with it; and even some saying it’s a failure from the start. We at Shady Sports, especially Krish Vyas, believe in the relocation. The Orlando Pirates will be bigger and better in every way than the past versions, and most of their competition in the IFL. Without further ado, here are the four biggest reasons the Jawad Yatim-led franchise will work in the Sunshine State.
Table of Contents
#1 Location
We will start with the most obvious, Orlando is a far cry from literally anywhere in Massachusetts as far as a hunger for football is concerned. College football is no indicator of arena football but even the college teams in Massachusetts have rarely seen sellout crowds. While we understand that the owners are from the state, there is little there to speak of when it comes to raging fans of the fifty-yard game, and I have doubts there ever will be.
Not to mention the pre-existing rivalry with Jacksonville that will only get Stronger considering the reduced distance. We can only dream, and this may be a stretch, but it would he wonderful to see an indoor rivalry with the same strength as the old War on I-4 had in the early 2000s.
If you gauge the overall football hunger in Orlando it seems like another world, especially considering that you have UCF in the fall and the new Orlando Storm in the Spring/Summer. If it wasn’t a football town the XFL wouldn’t have looked at it once, and after the merger, the UFL would not have relocated a team there. Their other factor when considering how big of an upgrade this is, is most definitely population density, Lowell, Massachusetts has a population of around 115,000. Orlando? Over 300,000, with 2.94 Million in the Metro Area. This point leads into our next point:
#2 Filling a Void
Orlando has been an arena football city for 35 years, proudly supporting both versions of the Predators since the early 1990s. So why not Indoor too?
The void left when the Predators folded just before the 2025 AF1 season was a large one, but it presented an opportunity for a Pirates team that has consistently been rumored to be considering a move. Orlando supported the Predators for many years in the AFL, and NAL, now it is time to see if they can embrace the Pirates.
Various social media forum posts, from literally any kind of fan were lit up with questions and hopes that their beloved arena team would rework, restructure, and return. Though most knew that was never in the works it left the fan infrastructure in place for whoever decided to gamble on the market. The Pirates will be able to take full advantage of said market. Don’t be surprised if you see Tulsa Oilers, or Albany Firebirds level attendance and fan support in 2026.
#3 Brand & Player Recognition
This is a point that is much harder to make if you don’t make splash hires and have your name out there, but the Pirates check both boxes. If you have ever been in any groups discussing Indoor ball you have heard of this franchise, but knowing about a team isn’t enough to put butts in seats.
Orlando will have some familiar faces on this team in 2026. Fans in Orlando may remember a time when new Pirates Head Coach Rob Keefe patrolled the sidelines for the Orlando Predators. Rob Keefe spent part of the 2012 season serving as the offensive coordinator, and later returned in 2014 as the Head Coach. He was Head Coach from 2014-2016, during that stretch the Predators went 35-17, appearing in the playoffs each season.
Despite the regular season success, Rob Keefe and the Predators kept finding a similar end to their seasons, playoff losses. Two of which were to the Jacksonville Sharks, a team he will face both at home and on the road this season, re-building the longstanding rivalry between Orlando, and Jacksonville, but also building upon the newer rivalry between the Pirates and the Sharks from their time in the NAL, and IFL together.
Rob Keefe’s ties to Orlando don’t stop there. He also has assisted a youth football organization in the area, the East Orlando Predators.
The familiar faces don’t stop there. Orlando’s own Nyqwan Murray has signed with the Pirates for the 2026 season. Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Murray attended Oak Ridge High School in Florida where he won a Metro Area Championships in 2014. He came out of High School ranked as one of the Top-100 players in the Florida recruiting class of 2015. Regarded as the 17th WR in Florida, and the 76th Nationally. After an impressive high school career he committed to Florida State.
Playing his entire collegiate career at FSU, Murray left with 135 offensive touches for 1,873 yards and 13 touchdowns on offense, while also returning punts. He declared for the draft in 2019, bouncing around in the NFL, and CFL before landing with the Jacksonville Sharks for the 2022 season. He was named First Team All-NAL. He was drafted by the XFL in 2023, but later returned to Indoor Football spending time with the Carolina Cobras, and San Antonio Gunslingers.
In case Pirates fans aren’t familiar with his game, in two seasons with the Gunslingers he has played in 28 games putting up 140 offensive touches for 1,815 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 1 2 point conversion. He was responsible for 290 points scored in two seasons, an average of 10.4 points PER GAME. He also adds value on special teams where he had 9 returns for 116 yards and 5 tackles.
Roster
You can’t do anything without a good roster though, and once again this is spot Orlando shines! Just take a look at the current signings, courtesy of Krish Vyas via the Orlando Pirates Crew Facebook Group:
DB:
Re-signed Destin Mack (Citadel)
Re-signed DJ Daniel (UGA)
Re-signed Smoke Monday (Auburn)
WR:
Re-Signed Teo Redding (Vet)
Signed Nyqwan Murray (FSU/Vet)
QB:
Re-signed Taulia Tagovailoa (UMD/CFL)
DL:
Re-signed- DJ Dale (Alabama)
Re-signed – Michael Mason (Coastal Carolina)
Re-signed Jacquez Bristol (Central Michigan)
What is one very obvious thing you see in this list? High-level talent. Every single player they have signed, or resigned this offseason is a veteran of the game, or played Division One college football at mostly the FBS level. This will translate to a good on-field product and the eyes of fans from every single one of those programs
If they can manage to nab a few more local players that played in Central Florida or nearby by it can only help the point that’s being made.
#4 Social Media and Presence
This is the one area that every single team, in every single indoor and arena football league needs to take notes.
The way Orlando goes about getting their brand out is on a level most teams aren’t. To start the announcement was hyped for a while before it was ever Official. Second, it was very well produced and gave you a sense of confidence that most indoor press conferences don’t. The Pirates are the only team(as far as we know), with a monetized YouTube Channel, which speaks for itself.
The cherry on top? They followed up with a completely revamped logo, and team shop “The Bay” full of gear, including Jerseys, with the new logo and “ORLANDO” sprawled across it. Jawad and company did this move right, and in the process gained a ton of positive press for it. If you don’t believe us, Google “Orlando Indoor Football” and see for yourself, tons of local press picked it up.
Not only do you see them on literally every platform you have people like Krish Vyas who use every possible avenue to promote the team. Think what you will of him but he has played a huge part in making sure everyone knows the who why and how of the Orlando Pirates.
If you’re a new fan of the indoor game and you’re having a hard time finding a team, give the Pirates a chance. This is one of the few teams that has survived two different leagues and we think it will be around at the turn of the decade. If you want to know more about the Pirates check in on their Socials, and tune into Around the Indoor Football World from Shady Sports Network, you’ll hear plenty about them!
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