Newsletter: Set for 2024-25, May stretch, Forever Bees, NBC

Hi NYC Bees! We're down to just three matches and have mathematically clinched our spot for a fourth Premier League season! Here's some information, news and links for you as we cap off the campaign:

... And Then There Were Three, at The Red Lion
We will be at The Red Lion for the final three games of the season in May, starting with our foe Fulham on Saturday, May 4. The Newcastle match on Sunday, May 19, closes out the campaign; anticipate a large crowd and several games being televised that day at the pub as all 10 Premier League matches are simultaneously played. We will have our normal space toward the back and will have the usual priority over any secondary match viewing requests. See the graphic for our schedule breakdown.

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Lev Riley, Charlie Corr, Tim Searls

Forever Bees, in NYC
The USA-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees has become a staple for us Brentford supporters, and that connection grew a bit stronger in April. The host, Tim Searls, made the trip to New York City and we had the pleasure of meeting him at The Red Lion for Brentford-Aston Villa! Myself and Lev Riley had previously been guests on his show, so it was great to finally connect in person! Tim spoke briefly about the trip on their April 9 show.

NYC Bees' Adam Harder (top right)

Then on April 23, NYC Bee Adam Harder joined our growing Forever Bees lineage and spoke on the podcast about the origins of his Brentford fandom. Make sure to check out his conversation on their latest episode!

Among other media opportunities this past month, I was invited back to our semi-regular spot on Premier League Fanzone, live Fridays on Peacock. I joined hosts Will Perry and Clinton Morrison for their April 19 show, leading up to our victory at Luton Town. On April 27, the NYC Bees were featured twice on the NBC broadcast of Brentford-Everton, at halftime and postgame!

I'm not sure how many more chances we'll have to get on further fan shows now that the season is nearing its conclusion, but I'll be on the lookout as always! And of course if any of you would like to participate, please let me know -- the more, the merrier!

Set for Season 4 in the Premier League
Despite our heavy dose of injuries and other hurdles, Brentford officially clinched a mathematical berth for our fourth Premier League season over the weekend! Thanks to Wolves' 2-1 victory against Luton Town, that put us outside the relegation zone pending even the most drastic results down the stretch. Later in the day, we unfortunately lost to Everton, and with that result the Toffees joined us in being safe from a bottom-three finish (they also earned a 71st straight season in England's top flight of football). With one month to go, 20th-place Sheffield United is the only club that is confirmed to be heading back down to The Championship; Nottingham Forest, Luton and Burnley are in a battle to avoid the two remaining relegation positions. Meanwhile, Leicester City, the 2015-16 Premier League champion, will be back in the top flight for 2024-25.

Brentford News & Notes
Five-star performance at Luton Town: Brentford's offense reached warp speed en route to a 5-1 victory at Luton Town on April 20. Led by a brace from Yoane Wissa, the Bees matched some history with their second five-goal performance in their three-season Premier League run. The other instance was Brentford's 5-2 win against Leeds on Sept. 3, 2022, with Ivan Toney notching a hat trick.

Wissa's first brace boosted his season goals total to a team-leading 10. He earned Premier League Team of the Week accolades alongside Bryan Mbeumo following that performance, and WhoScored.com named Wissa the PL Player of the Week.

Capital Cup winners: The Brentford FC women's team defeated Leatherhead FC 4-0 on Sunday to win the Capital Cup final! Chloe Logle notched a first-half brace, Maddie Phillips tallied from 30 yards out and Lucy Bolitho capped off the scoring in the closing minutes. Congratulations! Also worth noting, the Brentford women's B team earned promotion into the Greater London Premier Division in early April.

Quick Hits: The Premier League is going to announce its 2024-25 season schedule on June 18. Mark your calendars! ... Everton was deducted two more points for breaching the Premier League profit and sustainability rules. At the time of the April 8 ruling, that helped Brentford move up to 15th place, ahead of the Toffees. ... Last-place Sheffield United will open its 2024-25 Championship season in the minus column: The club will be deducted 2 points by the EFL for defaulting on payments to other clubs during the 2022-23 season.

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 featured on NBC for Brentford-Everton; 4th PL season set

The NBC Sports production crew has given the NYC Bees some strong play throughout the 2023-24 season, and we were featured once again on the NBC broadcast of Brentford-Everton on April 27. Our NYC Brentford supporters were featured twice on the day, at halftime and postgame.

Even though the Bees didn't get a result against Everton, it was a big day for Brentford as the club still mathematically clinched its spot for the 2024-25 Premier League season.

We have been on five NBC broadcasts this season, including our matches against Newcastle (Sept. 16, 2023), Everton (Sept. 23, 2023) and Arsenal (March 9, 2024), and our birthday shoutout to NBC Sports' Rebecca Lowe (Nov. 11, 2023).

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:

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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