Forge FC is back. Even fans are getting championship medals this year

Hamilton Festivals & Events

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Published April 10, 2023 at 8:54 am

The Canadian Premier League is set to kick off its fifth season this week, and the reigning, defending, undisputed CPL champions, Forge FC, are back at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

Forge has played in each of the league’s finals, winning all but one of them, and for the club’s season opener, fans can get a small taste of what it feels like to be the CPL’s most dominant club.

Fans attending Saturday’s 4 p.m. match against arch-rivals Cavalry FC will receive replica championship medals recognizing all three of the club’s titles.

“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a team since the creation of the club, and we could not have done it without the support of our fans,” said Bobby Smyrniotis, Forge FC head coach and technical director. “These commemorative medals are a way for us to say thank you and to celebrate our success together.”

 

Forge enters the 2023 campaign as the odds on favourites once again, with 19 of the 23 players who contributed to last year’s title returning to run it back. Among those 19 players are the club’s core leadership group, including Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, captain Kyle Bekker, Tristan Borges, Triston Henry, and Dominic Samuel — who have been with Hamilton since the inaugural season in 2019 and were a part of all four CPL Final appearances.

This year, Forge has its sights set on goals beyond the Canadian Premier League. For the first time ever, up to three clubs from Canada’s domestic soccer league could earn berths in North America’s top club competition, the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. One spot will go to the CPL champs, the other to the club with the most points at the conclusion of the regular season, and the third will be earned by winning the Canadian Championship — the in-season competition that features clubs from the CPL and the Canadian Major League Soccer clubs, as well as some semi-pro teams.

The medals being given to fans this weekend are made from the same materials and are the same dimensions as those the players receive. They feature the team’s logo on one side and the championship years on the other: 2019, 2020, and 2022.

They will be handed out to fans as they enter the stadium on Saturday.

Tickets are available online at forgefc.canpl.ca/tickets.