It is with great pleasure that CPD Bangor 1876 FC announces the appointment of Ben Ogilvy as Head of Development with immediate effect. Ben will be well-known to football fans in the City and, aged 16, was the youngest player to represent it in European competition when he faced FC Dinaburg of Latvia in 2005.

Unfortunately Ben’s playing career was cut short by serious injury and he retired from playing Welsh Premier League football aged 22. Since then he has been involved in coaching and managing including a recent stint as manager of his home town club, Pwllheli.

Even though the club has commenced offering taster sessions and inaugurated its Fun Football programme, in conjunction with MacDonalds and the FAW Trust, it suspended it for a few weeks following the imposition of the Bangor local lock-down and the recent national lock-down. We hope to re-commence activities in the near future and will be informing parents of the arrangements. We will be continuing with training sessions for the junior teams in readiness for the new Gwyrfai League season.

Welcoming Ben, Mel Jones, The Club Manager said “ I have known Ben for many years and know how committed he is to developing young talent. He has a vision which fits in well with how we wish to nurture players so that they can follow a pathway to our first team but also to provide opportunities to children of all abilities to flourish and enjoy their football.”

Ben will be meeting the Club Board via a ZOOM link on Wednesday when he will outline his vision and proposals reflecting the ethos of developing a sustainable, competitive, community-focused Club, upon which we will report before the end of the week.

Commenting on his appointment, Ben said “I am delighted to join the club as Head of Development. I’m looking forward to joining the club and playing a part on this fantastic journey the club are on. When I received the call from Mel I was immediately interested in becoming part of the 1876 family."

He added that he's "fully aware of what football means to the supporters of Bangor having been lucky enough to play for them" and that "it's clear to see what the club means to them so it’s a great feeling to be joining the club".

Ben is relishing the task ahead and has said "I will be looking to build on the excellent work that Iwan had started". In doing, so he'll be working alongside a familiar figure from his time in Bangor.

"I’m also looking forward to working with Mel again, I have known Mel since I was a junior at Bangor myself and have learned so much from him as a coach and as a person so I’m looking forward to working alongside him again. I can’t wait to get going and meet the coaches I’m also looking forward to catching up with a few familiar faces on Wednesday. “

Croeso ‘nol, Ben