Former CPL Exec Michael Findlay Named Bermuda Head Coach

The Canadian Premier League’s original Director of Football Development, Michael Findlay, was announced as the new head coach of Bermuda this month.

The veteran coach had previously helmed Grenada after leaving Canada’s domestic league, but quietly left that position late last year. Former Guyanese international Anthony Modeste replaced him on an interim basis before retired footballer Terry Connor was named his permanent successor in 2023.

Bermuda hails the appointment of Findlay as a big sign of commitment to enhancing the country’s football standing, with Bermuda ranked 173 in the world – one more than Findlay’s previous posting of Grenada. Findlay, 59, will be tasked with helping the country reach the Concacaf Gold Cup and, ambitiously, qualify to the FIFA Men’s World Cup – something that even his native Canada has only cracked once in 36 years.

“We are entering a new cycle within CONCACAF which provides for both exciting times and challenges for our men’s national team program,” said Findlay of his appointment. “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.”

Bermuda’s new head coach didn’t just promise long-term change, believing that short-term successes were attainable for the British island territory.

Findlay’s stint with the Canadian Premier League saw him establish a league strategy to identify domestic talent for the country’s burgeoning top flight, helping ‘plug holes’ in the country’s pathway to professional football. These efforts were succeeded by Oliver Gage, with former Forge man Costa Smyrniotis now holding the title.

The Canadian Premier League which Findlay helped launch is now in its fifth season with eight teams in play. Findlay isn’t the only executive to have left in that time, as even the league’s inaugural commissioner stepped down last January to helm his own expansion bid in Windsor.