Forge FC, also known as Forge Football Club, Forge FC Hamilton, or Hamilton Forge FC, is a Canadian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, that competes in the

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...

, the top tier of Canadian soccer. The club plays its home matches at

Hamilton Stadium Hamilton Stadium (originally Tim Hortons Field) is a multi-purpose stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 2014 with a capacity of 22,500, it was built as a replacement on the same site as the previous stadium, name ...

. Forge FC joined the CPL in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

as one of the league's seven inaugural teams. The club is four-time CPL champions, winning back-to-back league titles in

and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, before doing the same in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. Forge was the first CPL side to compete in a continental competition when it played in the

2019 CONCACAF League The 2019 CONCACAF League (officially the 2019 Scotiabank CONCACAF League for sponsorship purposes) was the third edition of the CONCACAF League, a association football, football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body ...

, and the first to compete in the highest tier of continental competition in the

2022 CONCACAF Champions League The 2022 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2022 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League) was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup under its former name, and overall the 57th edition of the premier Association football, football club ...

. Forge became the first Canadian Premier League club to reach the final of the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

, which they did in

History

Hamilton was linked to a professional soccer team as early as June 2013, when reports first emerged of a professional soccer league launching in Canada.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

owner Bob Young was part of a group of investors, predominantly from the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

, working with the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...

and president

Victor Montagliani Victor Montagliani (; born September 12, 1965) is a Canadian businessman, association football, soccer executive, and the president of CONCACAF. He is a vice president of the FIFA Council. Biography He is a former player of amateur soccer club ...

. Young and CEO Bob Mitchell originally met with executives from the

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...

and NASL to launch a Hamilton team in an American league. Executives from the Ti-Cats showed that the local fans wouldn't be interested in watching teams from southern USA playing in Hamilton, and the costs of running a MLS team would be too high. In February 2016, the ownership group sought permission from Hamilton City Council to erect a dome over the

Tim Hortons Field Hamilton Stadium (originally Tim Hortons Field) is a multi-purpose stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 2014 with a capacity of 22,500, it was built as a replacement on the same site as the previous stadium, name ...

playing surface to allow for year-long activity, including soccer. When the

was officially announced, it was revealed that Hamilton's club would be the flagship franchise. On May 6, 2017, Hamilton was one of two cities accepted by the Canadian Soccer Association for professional club membership when the Canadian Premier League was unanimously approved. Forge FC was officially unveiled as the league's sixth team on July 12, 2018. The club revealed its crest, colours and branding, as well as its place in the league for the 2019 launch season. The name was chosen to represent city's industrial heritage and forging ahead building its future.

Bobby Smyrniotis era

On October 1, 2018, Forge FC announced that Bobby Smyrniotis would be its first head coach and technical director. On November 29, 2018,

Kyle Bekker Kyle Edward Bekker (born September 2, 1990) is a Canadian professional soccer midfielder and team captain for Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League. Club career Youth Bekker was born in Oakville, Ontario and began his youth soccer career wi ...

and

Chris Nanco Christopher Lenroy Nanco (born February 15, 1995) is a Canadian former professional association football, soccer player. He played as a Forward (association football), forward. Early life He began playing youth soccer with Brampton Youth SC. At a ...

were announced by the club as its first signings, coinciding with event that consisted where each team unveiled its initial player signings.

2019 season

The club played its first ever game on April 27, 2019, in the CPL's inaugural match against

York9 FC York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. Histor ...

. As one of the league's 'inaugural teams', the club competed against

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 t ...

and

Valour FC Valour FC is a Canadian professional soccer club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays their home matches at Princess Auto Stadium. The team is coached by Phillip Dos Santos and community owned throu ...

for a spot in the

, qualifying after defeating Valour 2–0 on June 16, 2019. In their debut international match, Forge defeated

Antigua GFC Antigua Guatemala Fútbol Club is a Guatemalan professional football team based in Antigua Guatemala. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. They play their home games at the '' Estadio Pensativo''. They are nic ...

2–1 on aggregate in the two-leg preliminary round series to advance to the round of 16. There, Forge FC was eliminated 4–2 on aggregate by Honduran club Olimpia. Forge FC won the league championship in their inaugural season after defeating

Cavalry FC Cavalry Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in the Calgary metropolitan region of Alberta. The club competes at the top of the Canadian soccer league system in the Canadian Premier League, and plays their home matches ...

2–0 on aggregate in the 2019 CPL Finals. Golden Boot winner

Tristan Borges Tristan Daniel Borges (born August 26, 1998) is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Canadian Premier League club Forge FC. Early life Borges began playing youth soccer with Vaughan Azzurri, V ...

scored the opening goal during the first leg on October 26 in Hamilton.

David Choinière David Choinière (born February 7, 1997) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Canadian Premier League side Forge FC. Early life Choinière began playing soccer at age five with Celtix du Haut-Richelieu. In 2011, he joined the Montreal I ...

scored the final goal late in stoppage time during the second leg, held on November 2 in Calgary.

2020 season

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the CPL delayed the

2020 Canadian Premier League season The 2020 Canadian Premier League season was the second season of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top level of Canadian soccer. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPL announced a 14-day hold on all pre-season training on March 1 ...

and played it as a shortened bubble tournament at the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

. There, Forge defended their title, defeating

HFX Wanderers FC Halifax Wanderers FC, also written as HFX Wanderers FC, is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) at the top of the Canadian soccer league syste ...

2–0 in the CPL Final with goals from

Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson Alexander Börje Achinioti-Jönsson (born 17 April 1996) is a Swedish Association football, footballer who plays for Canadian club Forge FC as a midfielder and centerback Club career Helsingborgs IF On 1 May 2014, Achinioti-Jönsson made his pr ...

and Maxim Tissot. In the

CONCACAF League The CONCACAF League was an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its secondary continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. It was announced on 8 May 2017. The compet ...

, Forge defeated

Municipal Limeño A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and Tauro in single-leg away matches before falling to Haitian club

Arcahaie Arcahaie (; ) is a commune in the Arcahaie Arrondissement, in the Ouest department of Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the ...

on penalties in the quarter-finals. The club had one final chance to qualify for the

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...

in a play-in match, but were defeated by Honduran club Marathón.

2021 season

In the club's

2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, Forge competed in the

for a third consecutive season. This year, the club advanced to the semi-finals for the first time, coming from behind in the quarter-finals to defeat Santos de Guápiles 4–3 on aggregate to qualify for the

. Domestically, Forge finished first in the CPL and qualified for the CPL Final, but were defeated 1–0 by

Pacific FC Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford. History On May 5, 20 ...

, ending the club's quest for a third consecutive title.

2022 season

On January 2, 2022, the club reorganized its ownership under the newly announced Hamilton Sports Group, an entity that also owns the

and the master licence for

. Bob Young continues to serve as chairman and the largest shareholder while also welcoming new investment from Hamilton-based steel company

Stelco Stelco Holdings Inc. (known as U.S. Steel Canada from 2007 to 2016) is a Canadian steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario. Stelco was founded in 1910 by the amalgamation of several smaller firms. It continued on for almost 100 years until it ...

, club CEO Scott Mitchell, and Jim Lawson. On February 16, 2022, Forge FC became the first Canadian Premier League team to participate in the

, hosting

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., commonly referred to as Cruz Azul, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system, Mexican footba ...

in a 1–0 loss, and eliminated by them in the first round, 4–1 on aggregate. During the CPL season, captain Kyle Bekker and four other players recorded their 100th match with the club. Each of these players was presented with a commemorative Forge jersey with the kit number 100 at a home match. On October 30, Forge FC defeated Atlético Ottawa 2–0 in the 2022 Canadian Premier League Final to claim their third CPL title.

2023 season

In the spring of 2023, the club announced affiliations with ten local youth clubs, including

League1 Ontario League1 Ontario (L1ON) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association. League1 Ontario consists of three tiers – League1 Premier ...

clubs:

Sigma FC Sigma Sports is a Canadian youth soccer development academy and player management company based in Mississauga, Ontario. They also operate a senior academy soccer team that currently competes in League1 Ontario, as Sigma FC. Over 140 Sigma playe ...

Hamilton United Hamilton United is a Canadian semi-professional association football, soccer club based in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario that plays in the League1 Ontario men's and League1 Ontario (women), women's divisions. History The club was founde ...

, and St. Catharines Roma Wolves. In May, Forge signed head coach Bobby Smyrniotis to a four-year contract extension which also made him the club's

sporting director A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The ...

. Forge finished second at the end of the 2023 CPL regular season, qualifying for the play-offs once again; they eventually reached the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, which saw them lift their fourth league title through a 2–1 win over Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field.

2024 season

In the Canadian Premier League, Forge were regular season winners for the second time, and the first time since the introduction of the

CPL Shield The Canadian Premier League Shield or CPL Shield is a trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Premier League (CPL) club with the best regular season finish. Although this award does not signify a league championship, as that is decided during th ...

. Forge reached the CPL Final for a sixth consecutive season but lost 2–1 to Cavalry FC.

Stadium

The club plays its home games at Tim Hortons Field, a 23,218-seat

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

which had primarily been used for

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

. In the inaugural season, capacity was reduced to only allow spectators in the lower decks and club and suite facilities to provide an intimate setting for supporters. More recently, capacity has been reduced further with tickets now available only in the east side lower deck and the club and suite levels except for matches with a high demand. The stadium opened in 2014 as the home venue for the

of the

, and was used as a soccer venue during the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

Stadiums during the COVID-19 pandemic

In response to the effects of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Canada w ...

, Forge played several home games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons

behind closed doors Behind Closed Doors may refer to: Film, television and radio Film * ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1929 film), an early talkie starring Virginia Valli * Behind Closed Doors (1961 film), ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1961 film), an Italian comedy film by Dino ...

in other venues.

Crest and colours

The crest is designed to represent both an "H" for Hamilton and "F" for Forge. The open space in the lettering represents a waterfall, and the three orange sparks represent Forge FC's city, community and club. The club's secondary crest is a hammer with the 'H' of the primary crest at the head, with six stripes on the handle to represent the six municipalities amalgamated in 2001 to form the new City of Hamilton: Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek,

Flamborough Flamborough is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Bridlington town centre on the prominent coastal feature of Flamborough Head. The most prominent man-made feature o ...

, Glanbrook, and of course, Hamilton. The official club colours "spark orange", "platinum steel" grey, and "waterfall white", symbolizing the sparks that come from the strike of a hammer, the local manufacturing industry, and the area's many waterfalls. To celebrate Hamilton's founding date of June 9, 1846, Forge FC honoured the sporting colours worn by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Hamilton Bulldogs, and the Hamilton Tigers by wearning a black and gold kit for its first ever June home game.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Club culture

Supporters

The Barton St. Battalion is Forge FC's only recognized supporters' group. Located in section 112 of Tim Hortons Field, the group was founded in February 2016 after details of the Canadian Premier League and a Hamilton club emerged. At the club's official launch, supporters of the group sat behind the stage and were revealed as the club's first 75 founding members.

Mascot

The club mascot is Sparx, a large orange hammer-wielding dragon. He was unveiled to the public on April 18, 2019, before his debut at Forge FC's inaugural match on April 27, 2019.

The Anvil

Starting in the 2022 season, the club began celebrating home victories by having a prominent player from the match strike an

anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually Forging, forged or Steel casting, cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are massive because the hi ...

before the Barton St. Battalion.

Rivalries

Forge has a rivalry with

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based

York United FC York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. History ...

, with matches between the two club referred to as 905 derbies. As two of the founding members of the Canadian Premier League, the clubs contested the league's inaugural league match on April 27, 2019 at Tim Hortons Field which ended in a 1–1 draw. A competitive rivalry with Calgary-based

developed during the 2019 season, as the clubs broke out as the league's top teams and faced off nine times, including meetings in the

and the CPL Finals. The natural rivalry has been described as the best in the league.

Honours

**Champions:

***Runners-up:

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

**Regular season:

***Runners-up:

**Runners-up:

Canadian Premier League Awards

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

* Bobby Smyrniotis:

Defender of the Year *

Golden Boot *

Golden Glove * Triston Henry:

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...

Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year *

Kwasi Poku Kwasi Poku (born February 6, 2003) is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for Challenger Pro League club RWD Molenbeek and the Canada national team. Early life Poku began playing youth soccer at age six with Brampton Eas ...

CONCACAF League Awards

Team of the Tournament *

Molham Babouli Molham "Mo" Babouli (; born January 2, 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Forge FC. Born in the United Arab Emirates, he represented Canada at youth international level and currently plays for the Syria national team. ...

Players and staff

Roster

Staff

Head coaches

Club captains

Record

Year-by-year

Key

Key to competitions: *

(CPL) – The top-flight of

soccer in Canada In Canada, soccer is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate; according to Canada Soccer, there are nearly 1 million registered players in Canada. Professional soccer in Canada is played in the Canadian Premier League, the Nort ...

, established in 2019. *

(CC) – The premier

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

cup competition in Canadian soccer, first contested in 2008. *

CONCACAF Champions Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

– The premier club competition in North American soccer since 1962. It was named the CONCACAF Champions' Cup until 2008 and the CONCACAF Champions League from 2008 to 2023. *

– The second-tier club competition in North American soccer from 2017 to 2022. Key to colours and symbols: Key to league record: * Pld = Matches played * W = Matches won * D = Matches drawn * L = Matches lost * GF = Goals scored * GA = Goals against * GD =

Goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...

* Pts =

Points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

* PPG = Points per game * Pos = Final position Key to cup record: * DNQ = The club did not qualify * R1 = Round one * R2 = Round two * R16 = Round of 16 * QF = Quarter-finals * SF = Semi-finals * RU = Runners-up * W = Winners

Seasons

International competition

: ''Scores and results list Forge FC's goal tally first.''

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = background:#54565A; color:#ffffff; border: 2px solid #E04403; , list1 = {{Forge FC squad {{Forge FC matches {{Navboxes , title=Forge FC honours , titlestyle = background:gold; color:#000000; , list1 = {{Canada Soccer League Champions {{CPL Shield winners {{Canadian Premier League {{Ontario Sports Canadian Premier League teams Association football clubs established in 2017 2017 establishments in Ontario Soccer clubs in Hamilton, Ontario