Before moving to Lowell, the Pirates were based in Worcester, Massachusetts and played their home games at the DCU Center.

The Pirates won their inaugural game, played at the DCU Center on April 7, defeating the Maine Mammoths 51–24.

Darron Thomas started the following week in 67–7 win over the win-less Lehigh Valley Steelhawks; following a Sharks loss to the Mammoths the Pirates secured the top seed and a home game in the 2018 playoffs.

[9] On August 19, 2020, the Pirates announced that they were joining the Indoor Football League for the 2021 season as its first East Coast-based team and had signed a three-year lease extension with the DCU Center.

[12] On November 6, 2023, the Pirates announced that they had signed a multi-year lease with the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell beginning with the 2024 season.