Atlético Ottawa has announced that former club captain Drew Beckie has been appointed to the role of Team Manager as of January 2023.

Beckie, 32, recently took the decision to step away from playing professional soccer after an illustrious career which saw the defender play all over the world and culminated in him leading Atlético Ottawa to the title of Canadian Premier League Regular Season champions in 2022.

As Team Manager, Beckie will liaise with Atlético Ottawa’s front office staff, supporting the club from an administrative point of view and as an ambassador within the community. Thanks to his first-hand experience as a professional in the sport of soccer, Beckie will be instrumental in supporting the coaching staff in their development of the club’s players whilst also helping them get settled, providing the players with a platform to focus on their performances and develop their key characteristics as soccer players – both on and off the field.

“Going into 2023 we have even higher ambitions as a club and my role will be to help us achieve them,” said Beckie. “It’s so important, especially in a young league and a young team, that the players can just focus on playing, on what’s happening on the field. I’ll be able to help them in many ways thanks to my experience and first-hand knowledge of what it takes to be a professional in this league, whilst also being excited to be amongst the fans and in the community so that I can help them continue to grow the game.”

“We are delighted to have Drew transition to a new role within the club, one that we feel only someone with his experience can fulfill,” said Atlético Ottawa CEO Fernando López. “Drew has been a leader since he arrived and was an integral part of the successful season we had here in Ottawa last year. We are looking forward to leaning on his expertise to help continue growing the club on and off the field in the Ottawa and Gatineau region.”