Newsletter: New season, new looks, record transfer: 2025-26 is here

We're back, NYC Bees! After this little stretch of preseason, our regular season kicks off in mid-August! We enter 2025-26 as one of the youngest teams in the Premier League, and all curiosity will be on how Keith Andrews' first managerial campaign pans out. We're missing a handful of incredibly significant players who have transferred elsewhere, so it'll be a challenge. Here is a rundown of what's been happening and what to look forward to when we reconvene at the pub on Aug. 17!

All August matches on tap at Red Lion
We've got three PL matches in August, and we'll be at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St., for all of them. The pub will open early for the Aug. 17 game against Nottingham Forest (doors open at 8:30 a.m. ET, kickoff at 9). Also of note, the second round of the Carabao Cup takes place between Brentford's second and third PL matches. So we could potentially be getting together at The Red Lion for that, as well. Here's the August calendar graphic of our Premier League schedule. Look forward to seeing all of you again!

More on NYC Bees:
Social: Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | X
Media Hub: SlideTackles.com

Mbeumo departs, Brentford secures club-record transfer figure
We all knew Bryan Mbeumo would be leaving us after six years, after he made it very clear about his desire to sign with Manchester United. On July 21, it became official, and in the process, Brentford secured the largest transfer figure in club history. Reports are that the transfer is a guaranteed £65 million, with potentially £6 million in potential add-ons. Kudos to director of football Phil Giles and Co. for holding firm after MU twice came to the club with two offers below our minimum Mbeumo valuation. It didn't have to be a seven-week saga. This was a crucial transaction for us moving forward, maximizing the value of future outgoing transfers in this ever-changing business. This move was preceded by captain Christian Norgaard's transfer to Arsenal on July 10.

It is understandable to be taken aback by the volume of player transfers and coaching changes this offseason, but we can take some comfort in the front office doing its due diligence. If you haven't come across the Mbeumo sign-off video and Norgaard thank you note, check them out!

New look for NYC Bees
We kicked off July with a little NYC Bees logo unveiling! We hope the bolder look is fitting of our NYC-area contingent of Brentford supporters. With the club heading into its fifth Premier League season, we figured we ought to step things up a bit from our side!

NYC Bees side note: We recently surpassed 3,000 combined followers on our social media channels! Thanks for your support!

Brentford News & Notes
Henderson brings experience to fold: After departing Ajax, Brentford swooped in to sign England international Jordan Henderson on July 15. The 35-year-old midfielder signed a two-year deal and he brings a plethora of experience to the club, from his 84 caps for England, to a 12-season run with Liverpool, where he was eventually named team captain. "He has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years," manager Keith Andrews said. "He's been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club."

Club adds minority shareholders: In mid-July, Brentford announced the additions of Gary Lugner (This Day Foundation, MARV) and filmmaker Sir Matthew Vaughn as minority shareholders of the club. Vaughn's wife, supermodel Claudia Schiffer, also expressed her joy about being a part of Brentford: "I'm very excited that I'm now officially involved in a football club and look forward to experiencing its beauty."

Thiago nets equalizer in preseason opener: Brentford forward Thiago tapped home a first-half equalizer as the club drew 1-1 against Gil Vicente on July 25 in the team's preseason opener. The result was obviously very secondary for Keith Andrews' side as the team builds toward PL play. Outside back Aaron Hickey made a first-team appearance for the first time since October of 2023, and the likes of Kevin Schade and Mikkel Damsgaard already appear to be in top form with their build-up play. Brentford next faces Queens Park Rangers on Aug. 2, followed by an Aug. 8 match against Borussia Monchengladbach at Gtech Community Stadium.

Brentford Women open season on Aug. 17: The Brentford Women, who were promoted to the fifth-tier London and South East Premier Division, will open their new season in the middle of August. The schedule through the remainder of 2025 has been released, with Brentford's opener on the road against Aylesford on Aug. 17. The club's home opener is on Aug. 24 against Newhaven. FA Cup details and the 2026 portion of the schedule will be announced at a later time.

Where's Wissa? I was reluctant to bring up a topic that includes too much random chatter, but it's worth addressing. Yoane Wissa has been training in London, away from his teammates, as he has been reportedly pushing for a move to Newcastle. Some articles are saying he's never going to play for Brentford again. Some articles are saying the club made a "promise" that he could leave during the summer window. Some articles are saying he's now refusing to train, period. Newcastle reportedly has not met our player valuation with a £25 million bid, and that is the only factual component to grasp at the moment. We'll be standing by for more, but in the meantime we move forward with what we have. ... Remember the days when Brentford's offseason was relatively quiet?!

Quick hits: Center back Ji-soo Kim has been loaned to Kaiserslautern. The 20-year-old South Korean defender made his PL debut in December of 2024. ... In early July, the club announced the first-team promotion of defender Benjamin Arthur and Texas goalkeeper Julian Eyestone. ... Brentford unveiled the team's new 2025-26 home kit, which naturally features the club's red and white stripes. The authentic version of the Joma Sport jersey has a red block in the back to show player names/numbers clearly, while the replicas contain red and white stripes on the back. The club also debuted its new brown away kit during the preseason opener. The away jersey features a single Brentford bee logo (not the full crest) in gold coloring. ... With Keith Andrews taking over for Thomas Frank, the club made a number of assistant staffing appointments, including Neil MacFarlane, Mehmet Ali and Martin Drury. ... Brentford's three September games all have new kickoff times due to broadcast rights. For us in NYC, that means the Sept. 27 game against Manchester United will not included a meet-up because of the early start. We have confirmed with The Red Lion that the 3 p.m. ET games against Chelsea (Sept. 13) and Fulham (Sept. 20) will be blocked off for us, with music entertainment pushed back until after the final whistles!

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

Charlie

Bees cameo: Premier League in USA Summer Series segment

In the build-up to the Premier League Summer Series, PL in USA ran a lighthearted "wedding season" segment. Our good NYC Bees friend Reggie Gee, who visited us from Florida this past season, was part of the segment!

Reggie's cameo was part of a series of Premier League interviews that took place from outside The Red Lion in Manhattan during the 2024-25 season. Our NYC Bees have garnered a half dozen video appearances from these conversations.

Newsletter: New era, fifth PL season opens at Forest on August 17

Hello NYC Bees, it's already been a very busy offseason! Brentford moves on from the Thomas Frank era, high-profile Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard are likely departing, we'll have a new starting goalkeeper, and the 2025-26 schedule is set, with a road trip to Nottingham Forest on Aug. 17 to kick things off. Here is a recap of what's going on to catch you up!

Thomas Frank era ends, Keith Andrews takes reins
Longtime Brentford manager Thomas Frank had been linked to other clubs in recent years, and the move finally happened. Frank departs Brentford to take over at Tottenham. He leaves behind a great legacy that included our promotion to the top tier and two top-10 Premier League finishes during his seven-season managerial run. Frank wrote a letter to supporters, saying "For my family and I ... it's an experience and adventure that we will cherish for life. So, thank you."

Taking over as the club's manager is Keith Andrews, who had been brought into Brentford as the team's set-piece coach back in July of 2024. Andrews has signed for a three-year contract. "We want to have an attitude and a relentlessness of progression," Andrews said. "We really need to maintain that."

Reports indicated the likes of Ipswich's Kieran McKenna and former Ajax manager Francesco Farioli were potential candidates, but Brentford ultimately stayed in-house with Andrews, who will be a manager for the first time. Director of football Phil Giles' interview about Andrews: "He's very clear in what he wants, he's detailed, and the players and staff like and respect him. He's a perfect fit for what we were looking for."

Will this move be a gamble, or will Andrews' familiarity within the club's framework pay dividends in this transition? It's a question that will linger throughout the offseason and the opening weeks of 2025-26.

More on NYC Bees:
Social: Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | X
Media Hub: SlideTackles.com

Returning to NYC's Red Lion on Sunday, Aug. 17
The Premier League announced its 2025-26 schedule a couple weeks back, and that means a return for us at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St.! We'll have to wake up a little early as Brentford faces Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 9 a.m. ET. It has been confirmed that the pub will open early for us. Our season debut was originally scheduled for the date before, but Forest pushed this later to accommodate for cricket. Opta Analyst ranks Brentford's opening five-game schedule as one of the easier stretches among the PL. Following Forest, we host Aston Villa (Aug. 23), travel to recently promoted Sunderland (Aug. 30), host Chelsea (Sept. 13) and travel to Craven Cottage for Fulham (Sept. 20).

FanFest Live Brentford recap
On June 11, I joined FanFest Live and Shades of Blue for a special Brentford End of Season Report show. The live show took place a day before Thomas Frank's move to Spurs became official. We covered some season grades for elements of the club, and of course chatted about our offseason involvement. Shades of Blue uploaded a YouTube version of our chat, which is more ideal if you don't want to jump through some of the login hoops at FanFest!

Brentford News & Notes
Goalkeeper change: Kelleher in, Flekken out: Brentford opened the transfer window with a big change at goalkeeper. After leading the PL with 153 saves this past season, Mark Flekken left the club to join Bayer Leverkusen. Simultaneously, Brentford completed a deal to bring in Caoimhín Kelleher from Liverpool. The 26-year-old Irish footballer earned seven victories in 10 league appearances in 2024-25, including four clean sheets, en route to winning a Premier League trophy. Flekken's two-year stint brought out an array of supporter opinions -- some good, some tenacious! -- but you can't deny that he bailed us out on a number of occasions this past campaign. Good luck to him!

Reports: Mbeumo to Man U, Norgaard to Arsenal: Neither move is official yet, but there is a strong likelihood that Brentford will see two of its most important pieces bound for other clubs. It has been widely reported that Bryan Mbeumo is about to join Manchester United. Mbeumo, who's 25, garnered outside interest after a stellar 2024-25 season that included 20 goals and seven assists. Then there is Christian Norgaard, who is reportedly set to join Arsenal. The captain had recently reworked a contract extension with Brentford; he would have been a free agent otherwise this summer. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder tallied five goals and four assists this past season. Both players are obviously massive losses if these transactions come to fruition, so it will be interesting to see A) who can step up among our current roster and B) who the front office can bring in to replace their talent and expertise. They were key cogs during our final couple seasons in the Championship, too, so a big thank you to them for playing vital roles in getting Brentford to this level!

Brentford Women's Tier 5 opponents: Early in the month, The FA announced the club allocations for the Brentford Women, who earned promotion to the fifth tier of women's football. Brentford's division includes the likes of Ashford Town, Millwall and fellow promoted side Aylesford. The Brentford Women won 21 of 22 league games in 2024-25 to work their way up the pyramid!

New partnerships: Brentford announced several new brands and partnerships this past month. Indeed will be the official training wear partner, Cazoo is an official sleeve partner, and Cynergy Bank is -- you guessed it -- the club's banking partner. Still standing by for the new Joma kits, isn't that what we're really here for?

Quick hits: The preseason schedule is right around the corner, with Brentford confirming a couple fixtures: a road match against Queens Park Rangers on Aug. 2, followed by a home match against Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach on Aug. 8. ... The Athletic reported on June 24 that English filmmaker Matthew Vaughn and South African businessman Gary Lubner are in advanced talks with the club about a minority investment. ... Former Brentford coach Lee Carsley guided the U21 England national team to the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship crown with a 3-2 victory over Germany on June 28. ... Brentford's 2025-26 memberships are on sale. If you have any questions on this process, click on Brentford's how to guide page.

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

Charlie

NYC Bees on Shades of Blue FanFest show to recap Brentford season

NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joined Shades of Blue for a live FanFest show to recap the club's 2024-25 season! The show took place on June 11 and was hosted by die-hard Manchester City supporter Crunk Chocolate, who has had us on to preview Brentford-Man City and talk football on a number of occasions.

The show graded our kits, manager Thomas Frank's final Bees season, our squad, supporters and front office. We also spoke about Frank's move to Tottenham (which became official a day after this show) and the likelihood of Bryan Mbeumo's departure.

We'll be back on their platform for the 2025-26 season!

Here is a link to the YouTube upload of the show, which is easier than jumping through the login hoops at FanFest Live!

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

The New York City Bees have garnered dozens of media hits and special features since Brentford's rise to the Premier League in 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 posted the feature on its YouTube page for North American-based viewers, but the video has recently been set to private. HERE is the segment uploaded to our drive; the audio and background music has been altered, but the interview discussion is clear. (Peacock is a subscription media outlet.)

* * *

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, on NYC's Red Lion

BBC
May 25, 2025: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr was invited to BBC Radio's live Sunday Sportsworld program prior to Brentford's season finale against Wolves. This was our second appearance on the program, which has a global audience of 188 million. The conversation centered on Brentford's long-shot odds of qualifying for European competition, the futures of Bryan Mbeumo and manager Thomas Frank and the exciting goal-scoring campaign. BBC's show producer indicated that the supporter panel format will be returning in 2025-26, and we plan on being a part of it!

Aug. 25, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joined BBC Radio's Sunday Sportsworld for a live panel appearance to help preview the fixture between Brentford and host side Liverpool. The panel discussion was presented by Nishat Ladha alongside football reporter George Addo. Topics included the club's play, recent signings, Brentford stateside fandom and more. The BBC World Service feed is available here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service

"If I could make a blueprint for what I wanted the panel to be like, that was it."

--Jake Katborg, BBC Sunday Sportsworld Producer

* * *

Premier League Matchdays Together with Guinness
Jan. 6, 2025: The NYC Bees took part in this COPA90-produced feature that highlighted the NYC Bees. Hosted by Nakeira West, the piece included chats with NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr from nearby Washington Square Park, conversations with Dan Mitzelman and Alison Roberts, and a drop-in of our Brentford-Chelsea watch event on Dec. 15, which drew more than 30 fans. The PL filtered this video throughout their social media channels, including Instagram (76.5 million followers), X (45 million) and YouTube (7.9 million subscribers). We also had a couple cameos in a Jan. 24 series montage.

* * *

Premier League in USA: The Run In
The NYC Bees connected with Two Circles, the Premier League's marketing agency that promotes the PLinUSA social media channels. In the final couple months of the 2024-25 PL season, a handful of our supporters were featured in the league's content, stemming from our conversations outside The Red Lion in Manhattan:

May 24, 2025: It was a fourth appearance for NYC's Alison Roberts when she was included in PLinUSA's MVP conversation, with Liverpool's Mo Salah the resounding choice.

May 20, 2025: NYC Bees Lev Riley and Alison Roberts named Mikkel Damsgaard as Brentford MVP in the latest Run In video series segment.

May 1, 2025: Supporter Alison Roberts spoke about goalkeeper Mark Flekken on PLinUSA's biggest surprise segment.

April 7, 2025: NYC's Alison Roberts and Florida-based fan Reggie Gee appeared in PLinUSA's "Hot Takes" segment.

* * *

Bees United

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

May 23, 2024: Stateside Perspective: Establishing our International Bees Voice | Corr recaps a significant 2023-24 season off the pitch that included substantial media attention and growth among the stateside fan base.

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.'"

* * *

Across The Seas But Forever Bees

NYC Bees supporters and visitors have frequently taken part in this USA-based Brentford FC podcast.

May 6, 2025: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr spoke with the crew following Brentford's impressive showing against Manchester United, and prior to securing the club's first four-game winning streak in the Premier League!

Feb. 18, 2025: The podcast invited back Abhi Goyal in the role of Tim Searls' show sidekick to discuss Brentford's win over West Ham and look ahead to a matchup at Leicester City.

Feb. 6, 2025: Abhi Goyal of the NYC Bees made his debut on the show to delve into his back story of supporting the Bees and chat some Brentford football as the club competes in its fourth Premier League season.

Jan. 16, 2025: From January Transfer Window chatter to banned apparel at The Red Lion, NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr spoke with the podcast after their long holiday break.

Sept. 19, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr rejoined the podcast following Brentford's successful week that included a hard-fought match at Man City and Carabao Cup advancement against Leyton Orient.

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

* * *

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, Lev 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: NYC Bee Lev Riley, 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

* * *

BrentfordFC.com and official Brentford outlets

April 30, 2025: The NYC Bees were included in Brentford's Fan Spotlight Series, sponsored by Visit Tampa Bay. Our imagery was incorporated in several of these promos throughout the 2024-25 season.

April 18, 2025: The NYC Bees were prominently featured in a USA Bees promo for the club's Fan Spotlight Series, which was shared on many of Brentford's social media channels.

Jan. 16, 2025: The NYC Bees made a couple of appearances in Brentford FC's We Make Our Own Way video.

Sept. 20, 2024: The NYC Bees were featured in Brentford FC's Fan Spotlight, a day before the club's match against Tottenham. "Our New York City Bees meet rain or shine to cheer on the team from across the pond!"

2024-25 season: Brentford requested some imagery from a disposable camera, which was included in some of their marketing, including a photo in the September spotlight promotion on our fan group.

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.

* * *

NBC

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

Our most successful stretch of NBC national acclaim was during the 2023-24 season:

April 27, 2024: Brentford-Everton (2x)

March 9, 2024: Brentford-Arsenal

Nov. 11, 2023: Birthday wishes to Rebecca Lowe (video)

Sept. 23, 2023: Brentford-Everton

Sept. 16, 2023: Brentford-Newcastle

* * *

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. 26, 2024: Even though Brentford didn't play on Boxing Day, we landed a segment on the FanFest Live show to preview our match against Brighton the following day. Corr was our guest and well known Manchester City supporter Crunk hosted the 1-hour, 45-minute program.

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.

* * *

Premier League Fanzone, live on Peacock

The international PL Fanzone is broadcast live on Mondays and 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.

Feb. 21, 2025: NYC Bee Charlie Corr joined a group discussion to preview Brentford at Leicester City with the Friday Fanzone program.

Nov. 4, 2024: In the buildup to the Brentford-Fulham derby, Charlie Corr joined the Monday Fanzone show to discuss the Bees and the club's upward trajectory this season.

Oct. 18, 2024: Charlie Corr spoke with the Friday Fanzone crew to talk about the ongoing Thomas Frank coaching rumor mill as Brentford was preparing for a bout with Manchester United.

Sept. 20, 2024: Dan Mitzelman, who has been with the NYC Bees since our second Premier League season, made his Fanzone debut to cap off the show's supporter commentary heading into the weekend's Brentford-Tottenham match.

Sept. 16, 2024: The NYC Bees and The Red Lion were featured prevalently in our first Monday appearance on Fanzone. The show included some footage of our pub in Greenwich Village, followed by an interview with NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr, conducted by host Anita Nneka Jones and Leroy Rosenior.

Sept. 13, 2024: We made a cameo appearance prior to the Man City-Brentford match, with NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr answering a couple questions, and host Will Perry providing a little teaser for the following week's NYC Bees watch events feature and interview.

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

* * *

Shades of Blue

Jan. 30, 2025: The podcast's LIT Stream included NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr, who delved into a variety of topics such as the transfer deadline, clubs undervaluing potential sale of Bees players, and manager Thomas Frank who always seems to come up on these discussions.

Jan. 13, 2025: Prior to Brentford's come-from-behind draw against Manchester City, NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr spoke on the Breaking Bread series to preview the match. The first 15 minutes are available for free; those interested in the full podcast and Shades of Blue's exclusive content, sign up for their Patreon.

Sept. 10, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr connected with Crunk Chocolate and Lando Martinez to preview the first Manchester City-Brentford matchup of the 2024-25 season. Topics ranged from Brentford's transfer window grade to the aspects of the Bees' play that have made for such a difficult matchup in Manchester City's eyes.

July 12, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joined Shades of Blue for the podcast's Brentford End Of Season Report episode. The show featured an assortment of grading assignments, ranging from the players and coaches, to even the Brentford kits.

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

Sept. 30, 2024: NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr connected with the podcast to chat Brentford prior to the Bees' 5-3 victory over Wolves (approximately 18 minutes into the show).

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).

* * *

Don't Know Much About Football

Nov. 16, 2024: NYC Bees Alison Roberts and Abhi Goyal were featured in this new show, which focuses on American-based Premier League fans and gets into the origins of their support. Alison and Abhi delved into their growing interest in Brentford and provided some wonderful color about their fandom, the NYC Bees, The Red Lion experience and much more.

* * *

Men in Blazers

Jan. 21, 2025: NYC Bees Abhi Goyal and Charlie Corr were invited to a special live Men in Blazers event at New York's Football Factory. We made a few appearances on the broadcast and social media as hosts Roger Bennett and Herculez Gomez discussed the U.S. Men's National Team in the build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Hounslow Herald
May 30, 2024: The London Borough of Hounslow publication ran an abridged version of the NYC Bees' piece focusing on the NYC Bees' stateside growth.

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.

Newsletter: Top-10, Brentford Women promoted, PLinUSA and BBC spots

Hi NYC Bees, not a bad showing for Brentford as the club finished in the top 10 of the Premier League for the second time in the past three seasons! Thanks for joining us throughout the campaign at The Red Lion; hopefully the next couple months breeze by so we can start things up again for 2025-26! In the meantime, a bunch going on with us this past month, and I've got a couple group ideas/tweaks to look forward to. Here's the rundown of everything happening!

Four-game winning streak catapults Bees into top 10
Brentford's first four-game winning streak in the Premier League ultimately proved to be the difference maker in securing a top-half finish in the club's fourth PL campaign. Brentford did briefly hold an eighth-place position, but one point in the final two games pushed us down a couple spots to 10th. Nevertheless, the top half of the table and ahead of Fulham ... we'll take it! Bryan Mbeumo finished the season with 20 goals (tied for fourth-most in the PL), goalkeeper Mark Flekken led the league with 153 saves, and defender Nathan Collins was the only field player in the PL to play all 3,420 minutes this season. As a team, Brentford's 66 goals tied for fifth in the league, with Yoane Wissa (19) and Kevin Schade (11) supplying a heavy dose in the attack alongside Mbeumo. Mikkel Damsgaard tied for fourth in the PL with 10 assists. All these guys are signed through next season or later, but naturally the rumor mill is in full swing right now. Have we seen Mbeumo for the last time?

More on NYC Bees:
Social: Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | X
Media Hub: SlideTackles.com

Brentford Women earn promotion
On May 4, the Brentford Women became champions in the London & South East Regional Women's Football League Division One North! With a 4-2 victory against Clapton Community, Brentford earned promotion into the fifth tier of women's football! One week earlier, Brentford defeated Farnham Town FC in a shootout to win a second straight Capital Cup Final. At the conclusion of the season, manager Karleigh Osborne decided to step down from his role, so we will see someone else new at the helm as Brentford continues to work its way way up the footballing pyramid. Also, a quick shoutout to midfielder Mollie Holmes who announced her retirement. Congratulations everyone, it's been a memorable campaign!

PLinUSA: The Run In video series
If you've been following the #PLinUSA social media channels, then you must have spotted the NYC Bees along the way! Among the content over the past month, Alison Roberts and Lev Riley both named Mikkel Damsgaard as Brentford's top player this season in one segment. We're also thrilled that Alison has been a go-to for all of these videos, from her take on Mark Flekken for the "biggest surprise" piece, to the nearly unanimous take on Mo Salah being the league's most valuable player. All of these clips were filmed with the NYC Bees just outside The Red Lion. The PLinUSA Instagram channel has more than 1 million followers and the X (formerly Twitter) channel has 300,000-plus, so we appreciate our inclusion on these heavy-traffic platforms!

BBC Sportsworld, Forever Bees
Thanks to Brentford's success and keeping the slim European hopes alive, that meant a couple other media opportunities for us down the stretch. I had the privilege of joining BBC Radio's Sportsworld for a second time this season, prior to the Bees' season finale against Wolves on May 25. I was part of a BBC panel show for Liverpool-Brentford near the start of the season, as well. If next season's schedule aligns more heavily with their Sunday schedule, we could see an increase of opportunities with the Sportsworld program, which has an audience of 188 million globally!

Earlier in the month, I joined the Across the Seas But Forever Bees folks after Brentford's victory against Manchester United. We made five appearances on Forever Bees this past season, and they are always looking for potential interviewees. It's a very laid-back environment, with Tim Searls hosting from Maine and Greville Waterman from London. If you'd like to participate, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you connect!

Brentford News & Notes
Damsgaard, Player of the Year: During Brentford's 2024-25 end-of-season awards, there was one very clear-cut accolade: Mikkel Damsgaard was named the Player of the Year by both the supporters and players! Among some of the other noteworthy awards, Bryan Mbeumo garnered Goal of the Season for his opening tally against Tottenham, when the club had the knack for finding a string of first-minute goals. Maddie Phillips was the Brentford Players' Women's Player of the Year and Chloe Logie earned Supporters' Player of the Year for a second straight campaign.

Kayode joins Brentford on permanent deal: Brentford activated the €17.5 million clause for defender Michael Kayode on May 28 to join the club on a permanent deal, and he is now signed through the 2029-2030 season. Kayode joined the team on loan from Fiorentina back in late January, and he provided a huge upswing at right back. It is a no-brainer move for Brentford, which has been heavily injured at outside back for the better part of a couple seasons.

Quick hits: It has been known for quite some time, but Brentford finally made it official that it is partnering with Spanish brand Joma Sport to serve as the official kit partner starting in July. ... Prior to the club's home finale, defender Ben Mee announced he would be leaving Brentford. Mee was an absolutely crucial piece for the Bees in securing their ninth-place finish in the Premier League table a couple seasons ago.  ... The Brentford FC social media channels included the NYC Bees in their April 30 Fan Spotlight series. ... Mark your calendar, the Premier League will be announcing next season's schedule on June 18!

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

Charlie

BBC Radio appearance: Sportsworld, live on PL season's final day

We made our second appearance on BBC Radio's Sportsworld on Sunday, May 25, before Brentford's season finale at Wolves. NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr was on a five-minute, live segment to chat about Brentford's small European chances, the club's strong offense, the futures of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, and manager Thomas Frank. Sportsworld regularly provides pregame coverage of Sunday's Premier League action, and the show's global audience is approximately 188 million worldwide!

For future reference, the Sportsworld program is available on the BBC World Service feed:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_world_service

Earlier this season, we took part in a BBC Sports live panel prior to Brentford at Liverpool on Aug. 25, with a discussion led by Nashat Ladha and George Addo.

NYC Bees' Alison Roberts weighs in on league MVP with PLinUSA

Even though it wasn't a Brentford-related answer, the NYC Bees' Alison Roberts once again landed a spot on the #PLinUSA Run In video series to discuss the Premier League's most valuable player on May 24!

Alison and just about the rest of the interviewees were quick to name Liverpool's Mo Salah as the top player in 2024-25. The interview was conducted earlier this season from outside The Red Lion in Greenwich Village, and this clip was the fourth installment that our New York City Brentford fanbase has been a part of.

PLinUSA has more than 1 million Instagram followers and more than 300,000 X (formerly Twitter) followers, so our group's been involved in some significant media outreach over the past month!