Paget are set to return to the Bermuda Football Association leagues after a two-year hiatus.

Shannon Burgess, the BFA League and Cup Competition chairman, confirmed that the club will play in the First Division in the upcoming 2021-22 campaign.

“Paget have returned,” the former Devonshire Colts and Bermuda central defender and captain said.

The club withdrew from the First Division because of a player shortage on the eve of the 2019-20 season after being relegated the previous campaign.

Burgess is excited to see Paget return.

“Just looking at the Warwick-Paget neighbourhood that embraces perhaps Ord Road, we have had a lot of good footballers come out of that area, so to see that club come back online is quiet exciting,” he said.

“There’s no doubt there’s a lot of youngsters in that area that perhaps have dreamt to play for Paget, and so we welcome them back.”

Paget are the second team returning to the First Division along with BAA, who also dropped out of the league ahead of the 2019-20 season after a heavy loss of players. This brings the number of teams in the division back to 11.

Ironically, BAA and Paget gained promotion at the end of the 2017-18 season.

Both teams finished with identical 14-2-2 records in the First Division, with BAA taking the title on goal difference.

The next season, BAA finished in sixth place in the Premier Division to secure a spot in the Dudley Eve Trophy tournament.

However, they were unable to fulfil that obligation after 23 players left their ranks during the summer transfer period, coinciding with the departure of director of football Kenny Thompson to coach North Village.

Paget, who finished level on 11 points with Somerset Trojans, were relegated.

Trojans got a reprieve, however, staying in the Premier Division to fill the void left by BAA.

In BAA’s case, it was the third time in 26 years that a team had withdrawn from the league while in the top division, Hotels International (1993) and Vasco da Gama (2000) being the others.