Former Canada and Grenada coach Michael Findlay has been named as the man to replace Kyle Lightbourne and lead the renaissance of Bermuda football on the international stage.

Findlay, a 59-year-old of Canadian and British descent, beat out a field of more than 70 applicants, and will be presented to the media next week. He has already met some members of the national set-up in a get-together yesterday.

Outside of his pedigree as a coach, Findlay was manager of football development at the Grenada FA, a Fifa technical consultant and a director of football development at the Canadian Premier League.

“I am truly honoured and looking forward to the opportunity and would like to thank president [Mark] Wade, the Bermuda Football Association and its Player Development Committee for entrusting me as their new head coach of the Bermuda men’s national team.

“We are entering a new cycle within Concacaf, which provides for both exciting times and challenges for our men’s national team programme and I look forward to getting the chance to work with a talented and motivated group of players with potential and a committed support staff on this project.

“It is our objective to achieve short-term successes along with establishing a long-term strategy for Bermuda’s growth and success within the Concacaf region.”

BFA technical director Maurice Lowe welcomed Findlay to the fold, but not before paying homage to his predecessors who saw Bermuda to a glory run at the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2019.

“I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the outgoing coaching staff of Kyle Lightbourne and Ray Jones,” he said in a statement. “Our intention is to build on the foundation they have set. I welcome Michael as we accelerate our immediate preparations and for the long term. We are looking forward to thriving as another beacon of sporting success.”