 | |||
| Full name | Forge Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hammers | ||
| Founded | May 6, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-05-06) | ||
| Stadium | Hamilton Stadium,Hamilton, Ontario | ||
| Capacity | 23,218 | ||
| Owner | Hamilton Sports Group | ||
| Chairman | Bob Young | ||
| Coach | Bobby Smyrniotis | ||
| League | Canadian Premier League | ||
| 2024 | Regular season:1st Playoffs: Runners-up | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Forge FC, also known asForge Football Club,Forge FC Hamilton, orHamilton Forge FC, is a Canadian professionalsoccer club based inHamilton, Ontario, that competes in theCanadian Premier League, the top tier of Canadian soccer. The club plays its home matches atHamilton Stadium. Forge FC joined the CPL in2019 as one of the league's seven inaugural teams.
The club is four-time CPL champions, winning back-to-back league titles in2019 and2020, before doing the same in2022 and2023. Forge was the first CPL side to compete in a continental competition when it played in the2019 CONCACAF League, and the first to compete in the highest tier of continental competition in the2022 CONCACAF Champions League. Forge became the first Canadian Premier League club to reach the final of theCanadian Championship, which they did in2020.
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.[1]Hamilton Tiger-Cats ownerBob Young was part of a group of investors, predominantly from theCanadian Football League, working with theCanadian Soccer Association and presidentVictor Montagliani.[1]
Young and CEO Bob Mitchell originally met with executives from theMLS,USL andNASL 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.[2]
In February 2016, the ownership group sought permission from Hamilton City Council to erect a dome over theTim Hortons Field playing surface to allow for year-long activity, including soccer. When theCanadian Premier League was officially announced, it was revealed that Hamilton's club would be the flagship franchise.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5] The name was chosen to represent city's industrial heritage and forging ahead building its future.[6]
On October 1, 2018, Forge FC announced thatBobby Smyrniotis would be its first head coach and technical director.[7] On November 29, 2018,Kyle Bekker andChris Nanco were announced by the club as its first signings, coinciding with event that consisted where each team unveiled its initial player signings.[8]
The club played its first ever game on April 27, 2019, in theCPL's inaugural match againstYork9 FC.[9] As one of the league's 'inaugural teams', the club competed againstFC Edmonton andValour FC for a spot in the2019 CONCACAF League, qualifying after defeating Valour 2–0 on June 16, 2019.[10][11] In their debut international match, Forge defeatedAntigua GFC 2–1 on aggregate in the two-leg preliminary round series to advance to the round of 16.[12] There, Forge FC was eliminated 4–2 on aggregate by Honduran clubOlimpia.[13]
Forge FC won the league championship in their inaugural season after defeatingCavalry FC 2–0 on aggregate in the2019 CPL Finals.[14]Golden Boot winnerTristan Borges scored the opening goal during the first leg on October 26 in Hamilton.David Choinière scored the final goal late in stoppage time during the second leg, held on November 2 in Calgary.
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the CPL delayed the2020 Canadian Premier League season and played it as a shortenedbubble tournament at theUniversity of Prince Edward Island.[15] There, Forge defended their title, defeatingHFX Wanderers FC 2–0 in theCPL Final with goals fromAlexander Achinioti-Jönsson andMaxim Tissot.[16]
In theCONCACAF League, Forge defeatedMunicipal Limeño andTauro in single-leg away matches before falling to Haitian clubArcahaie onpenalties in the quarter-finals.[17] The club had one final chance to qualify for theCONCACAF Champions League in a play-in match, but were defeated by Honduran clubMarathón.[18]
In the club's2021 season, Forge competed in theCONCACAF League 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 defeatSantos de Guápiles 4–3 on aggregate to qualify for the2022 CONCACAF Champions League.[19] Domestically, Forge finished first in theCPL and qualified for theCPL Final, but were defeated 1–0 byPacific FC, ending the club's quest for a third consecutive title.[20]
On January 2, 2022, the club reorganized its ownership under the newly announcedHamilton Sports Group, an entity that also owns theHamilton Tiger-Cats and the master licence forTim Hortons Field.Bob Young continues to serve as chairman and the largest shareholder while also welcoming new investment from Hamilton-based steel companyStelco, club CEO Scott Mitchell, andJim Lawson.[21] On February 16, 2022, Forge FC became the first Canadian Premier League team to participate in theCONCACAF Champions League, hostingCruz Azul in a 1–0 loss,[22][23] and eliminated by them in the first round, 4–1 on aggregate.[24]
During the CPL season, captain Kyle Bekker and four other players recorded their 100th match with the club.[25] Each of these players was presented with a commemorative Forge jersey with the kit number 100 at a home match.[26] On October 30, Forge FC defeated Atlético Ottawa 2–0 in the2022 Canadian Premier League Final to claim their third CPL title.[27]
In the spring of 2023, the club announced affiliations with ten local youth clubs, includingLeague1 Ontario clubs:Sigma FC,Hamilton United, andSt. Catharines Roma Wolves.[28][29] In May, Forge signed head coach Bobby Smyrniotis to a four-year contract extension which also made him the club'ssporting director.[30]
Forge finished second at the end of the2023 CPL regular season, qualifying for the play-offs once again;[31][32] they eventually reached thefinal,[33] which saw them lift their fourth league title through a 2–1 win over Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field.[34][35]
In the Canadian Premier League, Forge were regular season winners for the second time, and the first time since the introduction of theCPL Shield.[36] Forge reached the CPL Final for a sixth consecutive season but lost 2–1 to Cavalry FC.
The club plays its home games at Tim Hortons Field, a 23,218-seatmulti-purpose stadium which had primarily been used forCanadian football. 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.[37] 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.[38][39][40]
The stadium opened in 2014 as the home venue for theHamilton Tiger-Cats of theCanadian Football League,[41] and was used as a soccer venue during the2015 Pan American Games.[42]
In response to the effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Forge played several home games during the 2020 and 2021 seasonsbehind closed doors in other venues.
| Season | Stadium | Location | Competition | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Alumni Field | Charlottetown,Prince Edward Island | 2020 CPL season | 6 |
| 2021 | IG Field | Winnipeg,Manitoba | 2021 CPL season | 4 |
| Estadio Cuscatlán | San Salvador,El Salvador | 2021 CONCACAF League | 1 |
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.[43]
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,Glanbrook, and of course, Hamilton.[44]
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.[43] To celebrate Hamilton's founding date of June 9, 1846, Forge FC honoured the sporting colours worn by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, theHamilton Bulldogs, and theHamilton Tigers by wearning a black and gold kit for its first ever June home game.[43][45]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2022 | Macron | Tim Hortons | None |
| 2023–2024 | CIBC | ||
| 2025–present | WeatherTech Canada | None |
The Barton St. Battalion is Forge FC's only recognized supporters' group.[48] 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.[49] 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.[50]
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.[51]
Starting in the 2022 season, the club began celebrating home victories by having aprominent player from the match strike ananvil before the Barton St. Battalion.[52]
Forge has a rivalry withToronto-basedYork United FC, with matches between the two club referred to as905 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.[9]
A competitive rivalry with Calgary-basedCavalry FC developed during the 2019 season, as the clubs broke out as the league's top teams and faced off nine times, including meetings in theCanadian Championship and theCPL Finals.[53] The natural rivalry has been described as the best in the league.[54]
Team of the Tournament
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| Caretaker |  Bob Young |
| Chief executive officer | Scott Mitchell |
| Executive vice president | Doug Rye |
| President | Matt Afinec |
| Vice chairman | Glenn Gibson |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach and sporting director | Bobby Smyrniotis |
| Director of youth football and assistant coach | Kyt Selaidopoulos |
| Goalkeeper coach and video analyst |  Johan Albert |
| Assistant coach |  Arno Buitenweg |
| Assistant coach |  George Kyriazis |
| Director of soccer operations |  Jelani Smith |
| Coach | Nation | Tenure | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Bobby Smyrniotis | Canada | October 1, 2018 – present | 198 | 100 | 42 | 56 | 050.51 | |
| Years | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | Kyle Bekker | Canada |
Key to competitions:
Key to colours and symbols:
| Key to league record:
| Key to cup record:
|
| Season | League | Playoffs | CC | Continental | Average attendance[a] | Top goalscorer(s)[b] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Pos. | Name(s) | Goals | ||||||
| 2019 | CPL | 28 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 45 | 26 | +19 | 56 | 2.00 | 2nd | W | R2 | CONCACAF League | R16 | 6,872 † | Tristan Borges | 13 ♦ |
| 2020 | CPL | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 19 | 1.90 | – | W | RU[c] | CONCACAF League | QF | N/A |  Daniel Krutzen | 4 |
| 2021 | CPL | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 39 | 24 | +15 | 50 | 1.79 | 1st | RU | SF | CONCACAF League | SF | 4,335 | Molham Babouli | 10 |
| 2022 | CPL | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 47 | 25 | +22 | 47 | 1.68 | 2nd | W | QF | Champions League | R16 | 3,456 | Woobens Pacius | 13 |
| 2023 | CPL | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 42 | 1.50 | 2nd | W | SF | DNQ | 5,318 | Woobens Pacius | 11 | |
| 2024 | CPL | 28 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 45 | 31 | +14 | 50 | 1.79 | 1st | RU | SF | Champions Cup | R1 | 5,279 | Kwasi Poku | 10 |
| Year | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | CONCACAF League | Preliminary round |  Antigua GFC | 2–1[68] | 0–0[12] | 2–1 |
| Round of 16 |  Olimpia | 1–0[69] | 1–4[13] | 2–4 | ||
| 2020 | Preliminary round |  Municipal Limeño | — | 2–1[70] | — | |
| Round of 16 |  Tauro | — | 2–1[71] | — | ||
| Quarter-finals |  Arcahaie | — | 1–1(2–4p)[17] | — | ||
| Play-in round | Marathón | — | 0–1[18] | — | ||
| 2021 | Preliminary round | FAS | 3–1[72] | 2–2[73] | 5–3 | |
| Round of 16 | Independiente | 0–0[74] | 2–0[75] | 2–0 | ||
| Quarter-finals |  Santos de Guápiles | 3–0[19] | 1–3[76] | 4–3 | ||
| Semi-finals | Motagua | 2–2[77] | 0–0[78] | 2–2 (a) | ||
| 2022 | Champions League | Round of 16 |  Cruz Azul | 0–1[79] | 1–3[80] | 1–4 |
| 2024 | Champions Cup | Round one | Guadalajara | 1–3[81] | 1–2[82] | 2–5 |
| 2025 | Round one | Monterrey | 0–2[83] | 0–3[84] | 0–5 |
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