Atlético Ottawa club captain Drew Beckie has announced that he is retiring from professional soccer.

Beckie, a bastion of soccer in Canada, enjoyed two successful stints with Ottawa Fury before returning to the nation’s capital to play for Atlético Ottawa in 2021. The 32-year-old was appointed club captain for the 2022 season and led Atleti to the club’s first piece of silverware, crowned Canadian Premier League Regular Season Champions. Beckie also led the squad throughout a successful playoff run that culminated in hosting the Canadian Premier League Final in front of 15,000 fans at TD Place in October.

The Regina, Saskatchewan-born defender represented the Denver Pioneers (University of Denver) before joining Ottawa Fury FC on loan in 2012. Selected by Columbus Crew in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Beckie went on to be one of the newly rebranded Ottawa Fury’s first signings in January 2014. He remained with the club until the end of a very successful 2015 North American Soccer League season, which saw his side win the Fall Championship and finish as runners-up for the Soccer Bowl and North American Supporters’ Trophy. Brother to Canadian women’s national team star Janine Beckie, Drew has donned the maple leaf on multiple occasions including featuring for the Canadian Men’s National Youth Teams at the Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 levels.

“I cannot begin to express my gratitude to Atlético Ottawa, the coaching staff, the front office staff, Fernando for bringing me into this project, to Mista for giving me the opportunity to build something here that I won’t forget,” said Drew Beckie. “I played a small part in what I hope is a massive success for years to come and for that, I thank each and every one of you for this amazing time we had together.”

Beckie will turn his focus to achieving new goals off the field while continuing his affiliation with the game of soccer.

“On behalf of everyone at Atlético Ottawa and throughout our Ottleti family, I want to say a massive thank you to our club Captain Drew Beckie,” said Fernando López, CEO, Atlético Ottawa. “Drew has had an incredible impact on the soccer community in the Ottawa and Gatineau region, from captaining our record-breaking side in 2022 to his days with Ottawa Fury and his grassroots work with youth soccer in the city. Everyone affiliated with the sport in this area has benefited from Drew choosing to play here. We wish him all the best as he retires from playing the game and we look forward to supporting him in whatever comes next.”