It was less than two hours after Forge FC captured their second straight North Star Shield as Canadian Premier League Champions, and were let out of a bubble they had spent more than six weeks in, quarantined from the outside world, when captain Kyle Bekker pulled me aside and asked me, ‘what do you think of Hamilton?’
Having worked in the Steel City for the past six years covering Forge FC, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, I knew my answer, but I turned it around on him right away, ‘what do you think of Hamilton?’
“This is my city man. Hamilton is home.” He yelled at me over the speakers as ‘We are the Champions’ blasted on repeat in the background.
Kyle Bekker grew up in Oakville, just a few short kilometres away from the Steel Mills, Skyway, escarpment, and downtown high rises that make up the Hamilton skyline. As someone who grew up with aspirations of playing professional soccer, Hamilton was never really an option for the blond-haired teenager who helped lead the Oakville Blue Stars and then the Mississauga Dixie Dominators to 4 straight Ontario Cup titles.
After connecting with his future coach, Bobby Smyrniotis, at Sigma FC, Bekker’s career would take him from the third overall pick in the MLS Super Draft to Toronto FC, FC Dallas, Montreal Impact, a soccer bowl championship with the NASL’s San Francisco Deltas, and the USL’s North Carolina FC before finally arriving in Hamilton as the first signing, along with Chris Nanco, for the Canadian Premier League’s Forge FC, in November 2019.
In a career that has taken him all over North America, Bekker has found a city to call his own in Hamilton and reflected on how he knew the city was special from the first time he was introduced as a member of Forge FC.
“Honestly, I think it was very early on. Just kind of the first few times getting out there, and meeting some of the fans in the community and seeing what they’re all about,” Bekker told me in a recent interview. “The first time I was introduced to the city, I was taken to a Tiger-Cats game and just getting to see how much it means to the fans. It’s a local team, it’s that community identity, and we’re a by-product of that.”
Anyone who has spent any time in Hamilton has gotten to know that it is the people of the city that make it what it is. A community made up of hard working, blue-collar, passionate people from all different types of backgrounds. The same can be said about the make-up of Forge FC, with players from all across the world coming together to lead them to success. Bekker says it’s not a coincidence that the club has taken after the city it represents.
“If we can go out there and just put a shift in every single week, and make sure we have that same determination, and work ethic that these people bring every single day in their lives that makes Hamilton so special, then they’re always going to have our back and going to be in our corner,” Bekker said. “It’s just a great place, it’s got that blue collar mentality, there’s no nonsense to it, it’s just ‘roll up your sleeves and get it done.’”
Despite winning back-to-back Canadian Premier League titles, and the league’s Player of the Year award this past season, his second consecutive nomination for the award, Bekker admits that there are still some things left to be accomplished for himself and the club.
“When you look back at the last two seasons, as much success as we’ve had there’s still a lot of room for improvement. What we’re trying to build here in Hamilton is a club and a culture that continues to push guys on and continues to achieve success. I think when we look back the Concacaf [League] run we had was great and we made some history but there’s a bit of a sour taste, and we want to continue to have success in that competition on the biggest stage.”
While the season was still going on in Prince Edward Island this past summer, rumours had begun to circulate that Bekker was among the players generating interest from clubs in Major League Soccer, and while I have been told there was serious legitimate interest from at least one MLS club, the Forge FC captain will remain with Forge FC where he says he could see himself finishing off his professional career.
“I think that’s something I would definitely be happy about. It’s a fantastic club, it’s a fantastic community, it’s somewhere I want to be for years to come and have success. As long as they’ll have me, I’ll still be here.”