Challenge Accepted

Hello Forge families, Mike Weyant here. Today is a very exciting day. Today, we begin the inaugural season as Forge. There's tremendous energy and excitement as we've witnessed the preseason camp and more recently the Forge Fest. I want to take a quick minute just to bring everything home. Forge is so much more than a soccer club. We're trying to build an environment for our community's families to develop the character traits that will make these kids not only successful on the field, but in life. Let's talk about a few of them as it relates to the club and its on-goings. These aren't just words on paper. This is the beginning of the story about how we exemplify these characteristics that we want to instill in our children.

Let's talk about perseverance. Look at how far we've come. What we start today didn't exist a year ago. We had two clubs, two histories, two cultures, two sets of staff, and two sets of facilities, and a ton of people who weren't entirely sure this could be done. Frankly, there were a lot of moments in the process I wasn't sure this could be done. It was mission impossible. Many people told me not to attempt this. Together, we said challenge accepted. Perseverance means that you don't quit something because it's difficult. You keep going because it's worth doing. Today, we're one valley, one club, we're Forge and it's just the start.

Humility. Are we the best versions of ourselves right now at this moment? Yes, we could argue that. But can we do better? Absolutely. Did we get everything right? Absolutely not. We have made mistakes and we're going to make more. But humility means being willing to learn, willing to listen, willing to admit when you can do better. If we are humble and willing to learn and make mistakes, we can have the courage to do big things. We've added a ton of new staff. We're adding futsal programming. We've added 6v6 leagues. We're adding strength, agility and quickness training. We're adding nutritional programming for kids and adults. We're adding adult fitness. We're adding tutoring and homework help for supporting the academics. And we have the Forge Classic, among many other things. The organization is working really hard to create more opportunities for our athletes and families. The question quickly becomes, what will this club become if we are willing to build it?

Third is a big one and my personal favorite, gratitude. Let's talk about the power of gratitude. We would all be happier if we had a few minutes each day to be thankful and grateful. Teach your kids this. Somebody has made sacrifices they don't understand. I want every parent, grandparent or person who is supporting their kids athletes participation at Forge to know that we are extremely grateful at Forge. The kids owe you a huge hug. Go ask for it. Seriously. Take some time. Tell them they owe you a hug. Somebody is driving them. Someone bought the cleats. Someone got the 7am game assignment. Someone arranged for the team party. So anyone listening to this, thank you for trusting us to build something special for your families. None of this exists without you.

On the topic of gratitude, there's another group that deserves some recognition. To our partners and community supporters. You've helped us financially. You've donated your time, your expertise. You're helping us improve our facilities. You're providing services, equipment, technology, photography, food, training and so on. Families, when you see their signs, take a picture, remember their names. When your family needs something that they provide, give them an opportunity to earn your business. That's what a strong community does. We support the people who support us.

Let's talk about leadership. We need to be leaders in this community. We don't just talk about gratitude. We are a community demonstrating it. Forge gives back. This is launched this year. Every year we're going to give back to a not-for-profit organization like ourselves. This isn't about writing a check. It's about showing up.

This year we're supporting the Alzheimer's Association and the Walk to End Alzheimer's. We have canceled all Forge games, practices and activities that day because we're going to treat this walk as our game day. Register, put it in your calendar, show up early and be there for your team and your community. It does not cost anything to register and participate. We ask that each athlete raises $100 for the cause. For every team that meets that goal, the team will receive a pizza party. The top boys and girls fundraising teams are going to earn special edition Forge gear for the entire team. Leadership means inspiring others through your actions and example. Forge gives back is our action.

Number five, indomitable spirit. That's a $100 word for sure and this one won't be easy to explain to your seven-year-old. But let me make it simple. It just means unbreakable determination. It means 100% effort all the time.

That's what we're asking of the Forge leadership. That's what we're asking of our coaches. That's what we're asking of our athletes. And that's what this organization is going to give to you. We're going to work hard. We're going to compete. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to learn. We're going to get better, but we're going to do it together. We've written a story about how it started, but the Forge story is about what all of us choose to build next. Thank you for the few minutes and let's get a great 2026 and 27 season off to a start.