Tuesday, April 23, 2024

NYC Bees' Harder shares Brentford fandom roots on Forever Bees pod

Adam Harder of the NYC Bees made his debut appearance on the Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast on Tuesday, April 23. Harder has been a regular supporter at our watch events at The Red Lion since our second Premier League season. He spoke to Tim Searls and Greville Waterman about the roots of his Brentford fandom during the later stages of the club's Championship tenure, and talked about the growth that has stemmed from the experience stateside.

Harder is the third person among our NYC fanbase to join the American-based podcast, joining Levar Riley and Charlie Corr among the show participants. Check out Adam's story!

If anyone else would like to connect with Searls and Waterman, please reach out and we'd be happy to connect you to them for a future episode.

Monday, April 22, 2024

New York City Bees: Brentford FC Media Hits (2021-present)

The New York City Bees have been the largest international Brentford FC supporters group since the club's rise to the Premier League. The group has garnered dozens of media hits since 2021. Learn more about us below:

Peacock and NBC Sports (PL Stories):
July 19, 2023: The NYC Bees are prevalently featured on this Premier League Productions series. NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr is interviewed (and does the introductory team voice overs) to provide some insight on the NYC fandom. On Peacock, the feature is PL Stories: Season 2, Episode 61. NBC Sports also posted the feature on its YouTube page for North American-based viewers. (Peacock is a subscription media outlet.)

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The Athletic and New York Times:
Feb. 20, 2023:
NYC Bees Charlie Corr (Manhattan) and Levar Riley (Newark, N.J.) are interviewed by The Athletic's Brentford beat writer, Jay Harris, for a piece focusing on the American Bees support. Corr discusses his draw to the club in 2015 and the growth of the fan group at The Red Lion, and Riley talks about his search for a footballing club back in 2019, and how Brentford checked all the boxes for what he wanted in a team. (The Athletic is a subscription media outlet.)

"The next-best thing to being at the Gtech."
-- The Athletic comments section

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Bees United:
Charlie Corr has regularly submitted articles for Bees United's newsletter.

Dec. 30, 2023: International Greetings | Corr wrote on behalf of American-based supporters for Bees United's 2023 reflections piece. 

Aug. 12, 2023: Bees in the States: Partying Like It's 1889 | Corr looks back at the event surrounding Brentford's participation in the Premier League Summer Series in America.

June 10, 2023: Webb's Undertaking to Prove VAR Works in EPL | Corr, a former colleague of PGMOL's Howard Webb during his tenure at MLS, weighs in on Webb's role in Video Assistant Review in the UK.

April 29, 2023: USA Bees: The NYC Experience | Corr describes the Red Lion experience in Greenwich Village, home of the NYC Bees, and making the pub feel like an extension of Gtech and West London.

"We're 'Just a subway stop in The Village.'"

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Across The Seas But Forever Bees:
NYC Bees supporters and visitors have frequently taken part in this USA-based Brentford FC podcast.

April 23, 2024: Adam Harder of the NYC Bees made his first appearance on the show and spoke about the roots of his Brentford fandom during the later stages of the club's Championship tenure.

April 10, 2024: Show host Tim Searls spoke about his visit to NYC and The Red Lion on April 6 as part of their program (approximately 22 minutes in). NYC Bees Charlie Corr and Levar Riley, who both have been on the show, finally caught up with Tim in person!

March 1, 2024: Our upstate neighbor, Brian O'Connell of the Saratoga Bees, made his debut on the podcast. O'Connell and his supporters joined the NYC Bees at The Red Lion for the 2022-23 season finale victory against Manchester City.

Feb. 6, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joins the group for a third time to discuss the Bees' play heading into a difficult six-game stretch, following a match against defending league champions Manchester City.

Oct. 5, 2023: Host Tim Searls opens this episode with a shoutout to NYC and The Red Lion, as well as an important reminder for USA-based Bees supporters to reach out to him to promote your respective stateside watch events.

Aug. 17, 2023: Longtime Brentford expert and show co-host Greville Waterman provides his perspective on the American Bees, with recognition to Brentford USA's John Kenkel and NYC Bees' Charlie Corr on the watch party and supporter movement stateside.

July 28, 2023: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr returns during the PL Summer Series, to chat about Brentford and the heavy supporters growth in NYC.

May 9, 2023: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr makes his first appearance.

April 19, 2023: New Hampshire resident Dustin Senor spoke about his NYC experience after visiting The Red Lion for a midweek match.

March 13, 2023: Brentford USA's John Kenkel touts the growth of USA Bees support, with a nice shoutout about the NYC group playing a big role in this trend.

Sept. 2022: NYC Bee Levar Riley of Newark, N.J., discusses his Bees fandom. Riley was the first member of the NYC group to join this podcast.

"The scale and the center of gravity that they've been able to pull ... theirs is the model with which we want to replicate."
-- John Kenkel, Brentford USA, on the NYC Bees

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Beesotted Podcast
NYC Bees supporters and visitors have connected with the highly-touted West London-based podcast.

Aug. 14, 2023: Billy "The Bee" Grant spoke to a bevy of NYC Bees during his visit at The Red Lion for Brentford's opener against Tottenham on Aug. 13. NYC Bees in order of conversations: Charlie Corr, Levar Riley, Adam Harder, Miles Dilworth, Brandi Daniels, Charles Daniel, Sarah Muni and Bruce Muni, followed by some repeat interviews.

Aug. 11, 2023: Billy "The Bee" Grant and Beesotted talked about the NYC Bees and The Red Lion, where Grant presided for the 2023-24 season opener, during their preseason podcast episode.

July 24, 2023:
Two-time Red Lion visitor Sophie Holmes and NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr spoke with Beesotted's Dave "Laney" Lane following Brentford's preseason match against Fulham, in Philadelphia.

April 22, 2023: Beesotted gave a great shoutout to the NYC Bees after making an unannounced drop-in at the pub.

"A must-go venue for any Bees fans visiting NYC."
-- Billy 'The Bee' Grant, Beesotted Podcast

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BrentfordFC.com and official Brentford outlets:
Aug. 29, 2023: During the Carabao Cup broadcast, Mark Burridge and Marcus Gayle dedicated much of the pregame toward the growth of American support. The segment included a mention of NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr, Brentford USA's John Kenkel and Across the Seas but Forever Bees' Tim Searls.

March 23, 2023: The club's official site, BrentfordFC.com, featured the NYC Brentford fan group and spoke with NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr about the rapid supporters growth taking place across the pond.

August of 2022: On the Brentford LinkedIn channel, NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr discussed the start of his Bees fandom and the building of the New York City supporters group.

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NBC
The NYC Bees have been featured frequently on the NBC or USA Network broadcasts throughout Brentford's Premier League tenure.

In 2023-24, the NYC Bees landed spots on the following NBC broadcasts:

March 9, 2024: Brentford-Arsenal
Nov. 11, 2023: Birthday wishes to Rebecca Lowe (video)
Sept. 23, 2023: Brentford-Everton
Sept. 16, 2023: Brentford-Newcastle

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Premier League FanFest Live
NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr has been a regular guest on the show, which is the USA's pre-game supporter platform during the Premier League season and the PL Summer Series.

Dec. 17, 2023: The 8-minute opening segment led with Chelsea Cabarcas' conversation with Corr about the NYC Bees and featured the group from their home base, The Red Lion.

Dec. 10, 2023: The show's third segment included Corr and the NYC Bees during Week 16 of the Premier League season.

Dec. 3, 2023: As part of the Premier League's Festive Fixtures campaign, FanFest kicked off a series of shows featuring mostly American supporters. Corr of the NYC Bees was part of this panel, and the Brentford NYC group received rave reviews from the nearby Manchester City supporters.

July 26, 2023: This 30-minute show took part before the Brentford-Brighton preseason match, part of the PL Summer Series. Corr was one of FanFest Live's guests, and the show featured the 5-A-Side Pod, Elischa Edouard and Chelsea Cabarcas.

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Premier League Fanzone, live on Peacock
The international PL Fanzone is broadcast live on Fridays in the USA via Peacock's PL channel. Shows are not archived or available online, but we give advance notice when we are aligned for an appearance.

April 19, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr chatted with Fanzone hosts Will Perry and Clinton Morrison heading into Brentford's matchup against Luton Town, which turned out to be the Bees' best offensive performance in the Premier League.

March 29, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr reflected on striker Ivan Toney's international history with the England national team and spoke about Brentford-Manchester United on Premier League Fanzone.

March 15, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr made a cameo appearance to preview Brentford-Burnley on the Premier League Fanzone program.

Jan. 19, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr returned to Premier League Fanzone to discuss the long-awaited return of Ivan Toney. For a second straight appearance, a Brentford victory was correctly predicted, as well!

Nov. 3, 2023: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr made an appearance on the Premier League Fanzone program in the build-up toward Brentford's match against West Ham, which ultimately resulted in the Bees' third consecutive victory.

April 4, 2022: NYC Bees Co-Founder Ben Reynolds joined the Premier League Fanzone program to discuss the group and Brentford's strong play following a 4-1 rout of Chelsea.

#PLFans #PLFanzone

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Shades of Blue
March 28, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr was invited for the Shades of Blue's LIT Stream, hosted by FanFest Live. Our segment (which starts approximately 30 minutes into the show) delved into Ivan Toney's international goal and accomplishments for England and his club future, Brentford's front-line talent and Thomas Frank. 

Feb. 19, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr rejoined the America-based Manchester City show, Shades of Blue, heading into the rematch against the defending champs. The discussion included a nice range of Brentford topics, from the club's affinity toward manager Thomas Frank to the blueprint for posting a strong result against City.

Feb. 2, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr made a live debut with Shades of Blue: Breaking Bread, a Manchester City-based show. Corr and Shades of Blue host Crunk Chocolate had prevalently featured on the Premier League FanFest Live Show during the holidays.

Whole Lotta Wolves
Feb. 6, 2024: NYC Bees' Abhi Goyal made a second appearance on Whole Lotta Wolves to provide the Brentford perspective heading into the Bees' final meet-up with Wolves (approximately 39 minutes into the show).

Jan. 3, 2024: Abhi Goyal of the NYC Bees joined the USA-based Wolves podcast in previewing the FA Cup 3rd Round matchup between Brentford and Wolves (approximately 45 minutes into the show).

The Ealing Road Podcast
June 22, 2023: During the podcast's show with Brentford's Allen Tillyard (marketing) and Stu Wakeford (content), the staff gave kudos to the pockets of American watch parties, including New York City and Chicago.

The Anfield Wrap
Aug. 18, 2023: On the Liverpool-focused podcast, Beesotted's Billy "The Bee" Grant was invited on and talked about his time watching with the NYC Bees in The Red Lion for Brentford-Tottenham (approximately 9 minutes into the show).

Fulham FC Matchday Programme
Aug. 19, 2023: NYC Bee Adam Harder, 2023 Red Lion visitor Billy "The Bee" Grant and Brentford USA's John Kenkel were among the Brentford FC supporters who took over the pages of Fulham FC's official match day guide. Brentford went on to beat Fulham 3-0 at Craven College.

To contact, or for more information about the NYC Bees, email brentfordnyc@gmail.com.

Friday, April 19, 2024

NYC Bees chat Mbeumo, Frank, Brentford-Luton on PL Fanzone

NYC Bees co-founder Charlie Corr made a fifth appearance this season on the weekly Premier League Fanzone, live on Peacock on Friday, April 19. The conversation covered Brentford's near-safety from relegation, the impact of Bryan Mbeumo, whether Thomas Frank ever felt the heat during this tough season, and what type of result is necessary against the Bees' opponent Luton Town on April 20.

If you are ever interested in participating in this international show, please reach out. They likely are set for their designated supporters and calls for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, but every year they're looking for additional voices.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Forever Bees' Searls touts Red Lion visit in NYC during latest show

Tim Searls, host of the American-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast, recently stopped into New York City and visited the NYC Bees at The Red Lion on April 6 for Brentford-Aston Villa. He mentioned the visit during his latest podcast on April 10 (approximately 22 minutes into the show).

U.S. supporters have regularly participated on Searls' program as he regularly ties in our local fandom with commentary about the Bees. NYC Bees co-founder Charlie Corr has been on the show several times, and Levar Riley was our group's first participant on the show.

A big thanks to Tim for what he and Greville Waterman have done with this show. We'll certainly continue to participate in this podcast down the road.

Monday, April 1, 2024

Newsletter: April Slate, PL Fanzone, NBC, Toney Rewriting History

Hi NYC Bees! It's crunch time over the final eight matches, but hopefully we'll have a brighter outlook in the coming weeks! Some information, news and links for you:

Five-Match April Slate at The Red Lion
After our one-game side trip for the Manchester United match, we are back in full force at The Red Lion throughout April. We're getting together for all five matches, opening with two games in a four-day stretch: Brighton on Wednesday, April 3, and then Aston Villa on Saturday, April 6. With multiple matchups against teams below us in the table, we certainly create our own destiny in avoiding the relegation zone when all is said and done.

See the graphic for our schedule breakdown.

More on NYC Bees: Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Media Hub

Returns to PL Fanzone, LIT Stream, NBC Again
We had multiple appearances on the media side this past month. I returned to the Premier League Fanzone show live on Peacock a couple times, prior to Brentford-Burnley and then before our clash with Manchester United. On March 28, I connected again with our good friends at Shades of Blue (USA-based Manchester City show) for their LIT Stream to chat about Ivan Toney's international accomplishments, Thomas Frank and more (I joined about 30 minutes into the program). We made it on the NBC broadcast for a fourth time this season, during halftime of the Brentford-Arsenal match. It was also nice to see our upstate neighbors, the Saratoga Bees and Brian O'Connell, debut on the Across the Seas But Forever Bees podcast on March 1. O'Connell and the crew had joined us at The Red Lion to cap off the 2022-23 season!

Ping me if you're ever interested in participating on any fan shows, there are certainly plenty of opportunities out there!

PL Mornings Live in Nashville
Brentford is hosting a fan event during Premier League Mornings Live 2024 on Saturday, April 6, at Tennessee Brew Works in Nashville. Register here on Brentford's official site.

Brentford News & Notes
Toney rewriting history:
Forward Ivan Toney has done something no Brentford player has done before, scoring a goal for England's national team during a 2-2 draw against Belgium on March 26. Not only did he convert a first-half penalty kick, but Toney is now the first Brentford player to earn multiple England caps. The only other active Bees to ever see the pitch for the national squad were Billy Scott (1936) and Les Smith (1939). It's remarkable how Toney is rewriting so much history with his ties to Brentford, a club that was formed only a couple decades after the formation of The Football Association.

Mbeumo returns; others to follow?: The injury bug has unfortunately been the one constant of the 2023-24 season, but there is some hope around the corner. Bryan Mbeumo (ankle) is actually one of the first instances where he got back quicker than projected, making a couple appearances this past month before and after the international window. Mbeumo still hasn't started, but hopefully that will change in the coming days. But now the question is, who else on the mend will make it back for this critical stretch of games? Thomas Frank said that Kevin Schade (groin) "has been progressing well" and has been in full training for the past couple weeks. Ethan Pinnock (ankle) and Christian Norgaard (back) are apparently moving the right direction with their recovery, but it's unclear if they are close enough for the opening April matches.

Thomas Frank on 1-1 draw vs. Man U: "I'm so, so, so happy that we got at least a point. If not, I probably would have lost faith in the football gods."

Quick Hits: Defender Kristoffer Ajer has scored a goal in back-to-back matches: The late equalizer against Manchester United and a shorthanded tally against Burnley. Ajer called the Man U match "one of our best games in the Premier League." ... On March 18, Nottingham Forest was deducted four points for breaking the Premier League's Sustainability Rules. That dropped them down to 18th place and into the relegation zone at the time. Forest and Luton Town are currently 17th and 18th, respectively, in the standings with 22 points. Brentford is 15th with 27 points.

Suggestions, Comments, Feedback
If you ever have any thoughts, feel free to email (brentfordnyc@gmail.com) or chat with me anytime! #COYB!

Charlie

Friday, March 29, 2024

NYC Bees reflect on Toney's international history on PL Fanzone

In our continuing connection with the Premier League Fanzone program, live on Peacock on Fridays, the NYC Bees and Charlie Corr joined the show on March 29 to discuss Brentford and the historical accomplishments of Ivan Toney.

Toney recently became the first Brentford player to ever score for the England national team, so we highlighted that feat. We also spoke about the Brentford-Manchester United matchup and its recent history that included a 4-0 trouncing during the 2022-23 season.

Fanzone is an international call-in show that is broadcasted live on the Premier League channel on Peacock. The show isn't archived or posted online. If you ever want to take part in the program, let us know and we'll connect you to the show in the future!

Thursday, March 28, 2024

NYC Bees connect on Shades of Blue FanFest Live LIT stream

Our good friends at Shades of Blue (Manchester City) invited the NYC Bees' Charlie Corr to its FanFest Live #LITStream show on March 28 to talk Brentford football. The show's main host, Crunk Chocolate, has connected with us a couple times earlier this season on their Breaking Bread program for Brentford-Man City previews, and we also know him through the Premier League FanFest Live shows that have taken place in preseason and in December.

We join in the #LITStream approximately 30 minutes into the program. The highlight of the evening: We determined that Ivan Toney's bid should be £150 million! Good luck with the negotiating, Brentford!