Forge FC captain Kyle Bekker announced Thursday that he has chosen to retire from soccer, hanging up his boots after eight years in the Canadian Premier League.
Bekker, 36, joined Forge in 2018 as one of the club’s inaugural signings and has captained the team in every season to date. He led Forge to playoff championships in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, as well as two CPL Shields as regular season winners in 2024 and 2025.
The native of Oakville, Ont., played 239 matches for Forge across all competitions, scoring 27 goals and providing 32 assists. He was named the CPL’s Player of the Year in 2020, and was a runner-up for the award in 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He finished in the top 10 for Players' Player of the Year each of the four years it was handed out.
Bekker led Forge as the first CPL team to compete internationally in the Concacaf League, as well as the Concacaf Champions Cup.
“When we started this journey in 2019, I don’t think I could have imagined what the next eight years would bring or how much this club and this city would come to mean to me,” Bekker said in a statement.
“Hamilton became home, and being trusted to captain Forge from day one is something I have never taken for granted. I’ve known for some time that this would be my final season, and I can close this chapter proud of what we built and the standards we established, knowing that we’ve left the shirt in a better place for the next generation.”
Generally regarded as one of the greatest players in CPL history, the central midfielder was always among the league’s top difference-makers on both sides of the ball. Although he was an effective defensive presence with his gritty style of play, Bekker set himself apart with his outstanding vision and range of passing, as well as his creativity.
He was also one of the CPL’s best set-piece specialists, whether challenging the goal from a direct free kick or delivering a pinpoint corner kick.
Prior to signing for Forge, Bekker had stints at several clubs including Toronto FC, CF Montréal (then the Montreal Impact) and FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. He also won a North American Soccer League title with the San Francisco Deltas in 2017, and played one season with North Carolina FC before returning to Canada with Forge.
At the youth level, Bekker took his first steps with Oakville SC but also spent significant time with Sigma FC, where he first worked with Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. From there, he went on to play four years in the NCAA with Boston College, where he remains second on the school’s all-time assists leaderboard. Bekker’s success in college soccer led to his third overall selection in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC.
On the international stage, Bekker earned 18 caps for the Canadian men’s national team, making his debut in 2013 against Denmark.
“Kyle has been the heart and soul of Forge FC since the very beginning, living and leading us through so many of our biggest moments,” said Smyrniotis. “But his impact goes beyond Forge — he’s been a standard-bearer for what it means to be a successful player in this league and in this country. Very few have accomplished what he has, and it has been an honour to watch him earn his many achievements.”
In 2026, Bekker made a triumphant return to the pitch in May following a testicular cancer diagnosis and surgery that kept him out for the first few weeks of the season. He went on to play 22 times for the club in his final season, leading them to the TELUS Canadian Championship final, which they’ll play against CF Montréal on Oct. 21 at Stade Saputo. In the second leg of Forge’s semifinal tie against FC Supra du Québec, however, Bekker suffered an ACL injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign.
“At the start of the year, I knew this was going to be my last one," Bekker told CPLsoccer.com this week. "I always joked about saying I was gonna play till the wheels fell off, and I don’t know how much more off they can get.”
He added, however, that he maintains immense pride in the effort he gave in eight years in Hamilton.
"The one thing I will say is I gave everything I had," he said.
"Whether I was right, whether I was wrong, whether I should have done it one way or the other way, what I know to be true is that I simply gave everything. My only hope is that the people of the city, the people across this country saw it."
Forge also announced on Thursday that they will formally recognize Bekker’s career at their final home match of the regular season on Monday, Oct. 12 against Inter Toronto. Further details of the celebration will be announced shortly, but the club did reveal that the day will include giveaways, special guest appearances and an in-stadium tribute.
