Kyle Bekker was the first player to step on a Canadian Premier League pitch wearing a Forge FC kit.

He was among the club’s first signings. The first to hoist the North Star Shield above his head, which he has done twice more in the league’s four seasons. He was the first to reach 100 matches played for a Canadian Premier League side and the league’s Player of the Year for the 2020 season.

The 32-year-old midfielder has played 117 matches across the CPL, Canadian Championship, Concacaf League and Concacaf Champions League, scoring 15 times. The list of historical accomplishments goes on and is sure to continue growing after it was announced on Tuesday that Bekker would be returning to the club, having signed a new deal ahead of the upcoming CPL season.

“At the end of the day it was always going to be Forge,” Bekker told CanPL.ca this week. “We have a great relationship. It’s been an incredible four years, I’m happy here. This is my home.

“I really value everything that the club has done for me and what we’re building, and where we’re continuing to try to push to, and where we want to go. Just to be a part of that for a few more years is exciting, it’s what I always wanted and I’m definitely happy to be back and continue this journey.”

Bekker’s head coach for all four of those years, Bobby Smyrniotis, is equally thrilled to have his skipper — and on-and-off-field leader —  back as the club enters year five of its history.

“This is the guy that has been here since the beginning and one of our first signings at the club,” Smyrniotis told CanPL.ca. “Of all the accomplishments that we have had he has been there for every step. As good as he is on the field, that’s how good he is off the field. Going into year five we wouldn’t want it any other way than to have Kyle Bekker on this team.”

With a resume that includes playing for Toronto FC, FC Dallas and the Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer, plus 18 caps for the Canadian men’s national team, Bekker was easily one of the highest-profile signings in the league’s inaugural season. What enticed him initially is still what motivates the Oakville native today: the chance to make history and build a foundational part of the sport in this country for years to come.

“To be a stone’s throw away from where I grew up, a part of a community that I know is very passionate about their sports teams,” added Bekker. “A community that really wants to get behind their teams, support them, and go out and represent the community. I think on a bigger scale just what the project was, opening more professional doors in Canada in the game of soccer and being a part of something that was growing from the ground up, and really being able to put your stamp on something, which is a very unique thing in our game especially. Obviously, it’s common to show up to a place that has years and years of experience, years and years of culture, what they’re all about and already have that. To be a part of writing that from the ground up is very cool.”

Bekker is a central piece in a core group of players that has been critical to the success and continuity the club has enjoyed over the past four years. Fellow year-one players David Choinière and Triston Henry also signed new deals this off-season, while Alex Achinioti-Jönsson, Dominic Samuel and Tristan Borges likewise remain with the club from its 2019 roster.

“If you have a group that has been here for some time, you allow those guys to be comfortable in the sense that they can have such an impact on new guys coming in, because they can get guys up to speed very quickly in terms of what is expected of them,” said Bekker. “They can help with the little things, the little details, what it means to play for this club, what is expected from you day in and day out. I think it allows guys to get up to speed quicker to then go on and fulfill their potential.”

The value of continuity is not only felt on the field but off it as Forge has quickly helped many of those aforementioned players to become household names in Hamilton. Attend a Forge FC match, and you will see a banner suggesting fans will flood the field should Samuel score what would be his first Forge goal, or hear ‘Oh Henry’ chants every time the Forge goalkeeper makes a save.

“Off the field, it’s important as we grow the brand,” explained Smyrniotis. “When you look at the brand, it’s important for our fans to have that close feeling to the players. When you have a lot of turnover, that changes, and of course turnover is going to come with players going off to different levels to play and we want that. But we also want to make sure that there is continuity for the public and for this league. That’s the important thing that Kyle Bekker brings in our situation.”

That impact on the local community is significant, especially among young aspiring soccer players. It is why as much as it is worth celebrating players who use the Canadian Premier League as a platform to move on to higher levels, those who stick around for long stretches are even more important in raising the profile of the league.

“They start becoming the icon of the local kids,” said Smyrniotis. “I think that’s one of the most important things that for myself growing up and playing in Canada we never really had. I think that’s a great opportunity that some of the veteran players in this league are going to have, they’re going to play that role for the local players, who eventually want to get to the point where they are playing for Forge FC. I think that’s massive.”

For those veteran players, the draw to finish their careers in Canada has never been higher. Opportunities after football have significantly increased as the sport continues to grow in this country. This off-season alone, former York United midfielder Jordan Wilson joined OneSoccer’s broadcast team, Mason Trafford became a commercial director with Cavalry FC, and Drew Beckie a team manager for Atlético Ottawa. Jamar Dixon joined the coaching staff at Pacific and Daryl Fordyce did the same with Valour. Bekker has seen this transition firsthand through former teammate David Edgar, who is now an assistant coach with Forge.

“We’ve seen Canadian players who have ended their career at their club but have gone on to take business roles and stay involved in the game in some capacity, which is massive,” said Bekker. “I think that’s something that has been missing in the last 20 to 30 years, whatever it may be. Guys who have done it, made a career for themselves but then are going to be able to pay it forward and use their experience to continue to grow a business operations side, or whatever capacity they might be doing in their team. I think that’s very exciting. It’s opening more jobs than I think people may realize.”

While at 32, life after his playing career is understandably on his mind, before he joins friend and former teammate Edgar on the touchline as a coach, or former foe Trafford in a front office role, Bekker has plenty left to give on the pitch. This past season he made 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice, including a stunning Olimpico against FC Edmonton. He added a career-high six assists in CPL action (tied for third-most in 2022).

When asked what he still wants to accomplish with the club in the coming years, one goal quickly rises above all the others in terms of priority.

“I think the biggest one is getting back to [Concacaf] Champions League,” said Bekker. “It’s the biggest competition that we have on this continent and you want to be constantly testing yourselves against the best teams in the best competitions, the best players and the fact that we have an avenue into that in the CPL, I don’t think it can be understated. I don’t think it can be talked about enough.”

Forge remains the lone CPL side to have played in the competition, falling to Cruz Azul in the round of 16 of the 2022 edition. They will have three opportunities to qualify in 2023: winning the CPL regular season title, the playoffs, or becoming the first CPL side to lift the Voyageurs Cup.

Doing so would only fit into the holistic goal of what Forge has always set out to do: raise the standard and profile of the league, both domestically and abroad.

“Just continue to just be pushing the envelope, which is easier said than done,” said Bekker. “You’re going to have the target on your back when you’ve won three out of four championships and it’s not going to be easy. We can’t just come in here and say it and think it’s going to be a foregone conclusion, so there’s still a ton of work to do.”

The fact that Bekker will be back to continue to make sure the club’s lofty ambition does not slip, either on or off the field, over the next couple of years is critical. The face of Forge FC is back, and as a result, the league’s reigning champions remain as formidable as ever.