Forge Opens Up Extra Seats As Hamilton Hosts 2023 CPL Final

It looks like the city of Hamilton is showing up for Forge’s Canadian Premier League final set for Saturday, October 28.

The three-time CPL champions will be hosting the match at Tim Hortons Field, where they’ve just opened up the west end stands due to high ticket sales of the eastern flank which, in a typical matchday, is the only side open.

The Barton Street Battalion had posted yesterday that their supporters’ section – The Bellows – had sold out, with Ticketmaster showing that several other sections along the side have less then one hundred available seats apiece.

Thus, the club has made the decision to open up the west end to meet fan demand.

Forge has averaged some 5,265 fans per match this year, a staggering 45% increase over the numbers they pulled last year. Evidently, the city is buying into what the three-time champions are selling.

Forge locked in a spot to the final after defeating Cavalry in a first-versus-second playoff match in enemy territory, with the victory locking in hosting rights for the big day.

This won’t be the only time Tim Hortons Field has hosted a CPL Final, though the club will be hoping for a different outcome: Pacific bested the side one-nil there in 2021, with Alejandro Hojabrpour scoring the winner for Pacific before signing with Forge shortly after.

The venue boasts a league record for the highest-ever attend match, with club founder Bob Young seeing 17,611 fans take in the league’s inaugural match, with the caveat that tickets were made free.

Last season saw Forge win the title away to Ottawa, with the nation’s capital bringing in 14,992 spectators…so it’ll be interesting to see how Hamilton stacks up in terms of attendance.

The CPL will be unveiling a brand new league trophy in the build-up to the match, with the hammers hoping it’ll be them lifting the new silverware through a tantalizing fourth league win.

If they can do it, they’ll make history as the first CPL team to win a championship at home.

Fans interested in jumping aboard for the 2023 CPL Final can purchase tickets here.

Header Image Photo Credit: Jojo Yanjiao Qian