Lowell Institute of Technology plumbing, painting and design students create goalposts for Massachusetts Pirates Indoor Football League team

TYGSBORO — Superintendent Jill Davis said Greater Lowell Polytechnic Institute plumbing and painting and design students recently designed, manufactured and painted goal posts for the Massachusetts Pirates Indoor Football League team. will be happy to share.

The Massachusetts Pirates are a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. The team recently relocated to Lowell after playing in Worcester for five seasons.

Casey Crane, a former Lowell radio talk host and Pirates publicist, reached out to Lowell school administrators. In January, we communicated the needs of the Goal Post Project.

Before the project began, research was conducted to determine which building materials and paints would be best suited for the project. Genuino Mendonca, a second-year plumbing instructor, worked with students to design and fabricate his 4-inch PVC field goal post. Structural dimensions must meet the specifications of the Indoor Football League, allowing for quick disassembly for storage between games while allowing for sturdy and safe operation in conjunction with the Tsongas’ Arena and his team. It was done in a way. The painting process was coordinated by painting and design instructor Michael Donahue and his students. The team worked together to determine the proper paint application process to withstand the impact of footballs hitting the posts without creating paint chips. The students sanded all sections of the post and applied a special adhesive primer for PVC materials. Finally, he applied special safety yellow paint five times over the course of a week to complete the process.

On Tuesday, March 19, in a ceremony held at the Tsongas Center prior to the weekend’s home opener, Greater Lowell Polytechnic Institute plumbing, painting and design students and staff were inducted into the Pirates Indoor Football League team. Participants included players, coaches, and team management.

At the ceremony, players and coaches praised the hard work of the Greater Lowell Institute of Technology’s Plumbing and Painting and Design students and thanked them for their support as the teams prepare for the start of the season.

Massachusetts Congressman Ladi Mumm, Pirates owner and general manager Jawad Yatim and quarterback Alejandro Benifield also spoke at the ceremony.

After signing the goalposts, the students took part in the tradition of shooting empty water bottles out of the Pirates treasure chest as a symbol of good luck for the players. The goalposts will remain in the arena’s end zones for years to come.

“I would like to thank each and every student and staff member who participated in this project,” Superintendent Davis said. “We are grateful for this unique opportunity to give back to the community while giving our students the opportunity to practice their technical skills.”

The Pirates faced the Jacksonville Sharks in their home opener on Saturday, March 23rd at the Tsongas Center.

###