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Forge FC completes 2019 coaching staff with Reynders, Albert signings

Forge FC unveiled their coaching staff for the start of the 2019 season on Monday, with Peter Reynders and Johan Albert joining head coach Bobby Smyrniotis ahead of their inaugural season.

Reynders will serve as assistant coach, while Albert was named assistant coach/goalkeepers coach.

“I am very pleased to formally announce Peter Reynders and Johan Albert as key members of our coaching staff at Forge FC,” said Smyrniotis. “Both coaches bring a wealth of experience from the international game at various levels. Most importantly, their experience in developing and monitoring young talent is at the forefront of building our long-term vision here in Hamilton.”

Reynders, 54, has 30 years of experience in football developing top talent. For 26 years, he worked with Belgian professional club KRC Genk, a club that is widely regarded as having one of the most successful development academies in world football. During his time at Genk, some of biggest talents in Belgian football graduated from the academy to the first team and full national team, including Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Divock Origi, Christian Benteke, Leon Bailey and Yanick Carrasco to name a few.

“Peter is someone I have known very well over the past seven years in our collaborative work during his time at KRC Genk,” said Smyrniotis. “His understanding of the game and ambition to continuously develop players to higher levels of the game will be very important to our long-term success as a club.”

The Beringen, Belgium native’s focus at KRC Genk was the important under-13 to under-15 age groups where key talents were prepared for the final phase of their development in advance of first-team inclusion. He also worked very closely with the “promises group” at the club, Genk II, a selection of top talents (under-16 to under-19) who were put on a special development track in preparation for first-team football. Reynders holds a UEFA A license from the Royal Belgian Football Federation.

Albert, 42, has over 24 years of coaching experience in football in his native France. He spent 22 years with French professional club FC Nantes, serving the first six with the academy where he coached youth teams and goalkeepers. Albert graduated from the youth ranks to the first team, where he spent more than 16 years as an assistant coach focusing on tactical video analysis, scouting and analytics functions. During his time with the first team, the club won the Ligue1 title once, progressed to the second round of the Champions League and made the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup (now Europa League).

“Johan’s valuable experiences in the game, and drive to build the domestic game here, will surely benefit our team,” said Smyrniotis. “He will be leading the development of our goalkeepers, along with bringing his valuable expertise in the scouting and video analysis aspects of the game.”

The native of Poiters, France gained valuable national team experience as part of the coaching staff of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he lead the tactical analysis and opposition scouting efforts during the 2017 African Nations Cup and 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Albert holds a UEFA A license and goalkeepers license from the French Football Federation.