Atlético Ottawa announced on Wednesday that midfielder Ollie Bassett will not be returning to the club for the 2025 season, as he has chosen to move on following his contract’s expiry at the end of December 2024.

Bassett, a 26-year-old native of Packington, England, spent the last three seasons in Ottawa, setting a club record for appearances in all competitions with 92. He has spent a total of four years in the Canadian Premier League, including the 2021 campaign which he spent with Pacific FC — helping the Tridents win the club’s first CPL championship in the 2021 Final against Forge FC.

In 112 career appearances with CPL clubs, Bassett notched 28 goals and 15 assists. With 24 regular season goals, Bassett sits sixth in the CPL’s all-time scoring leaderboard, as well as joint-sixth in assists.

After signing with Atlético Ottawa ahead of the 2022 season, Bassett led the capital city club to their first CPL honour in his first year there, as they won the regular season title, also helping them advance to the CPL Final. That year was also a breakout campaign for Bassett, who was named the 2022 Player of the Year, and also won the CPL’s first ever Players’ Player of the Year award.

The following season, Bassett’s 11 goals were tied for most in the league and he shared the CPL’s Golden Boot award with Myer Bevan.

“The time has come to say goodbye to a place that I’ve been lucky enough to call home for the last three years,” Bassett said in a release. “The city of Ottawa and the whole Atlético organization have given me so much and I’ll be forever grateful for the support of every single person since my journey started here back in 2022 … I would love nothing more than to result one day but for now I’ll keep an eye on results from afar.”

Ottawa head coach Carlos González added: “It’s always tough to say goodbye to a player that made an impact on a club and city like Ollie did. Ollie will always be part of the Atleti story. We thank him for his commitment to the club during the time he was here and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”