NYC Bees Newsletter: Aug. 22 at Red Lion, 4K followers, Sangare signs

Greetings NYC Bees, it's been a while since I've put this newsletter together. Let's get into all the happenings as we prepare for Brentford's 2026-27 Premier League season and another campaign at The Red Lion!

Returning to Red Lion for Aug. 22 opener
We've confirmed with The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St., and we are good to go for our two regular season Brentford matches this month, starting with Aug. 22 against Tottenham! The other one is on Sunday, Aug. 30, against Leeds, and the pub will open its doors early for us. Looking forward to seeing all of you again on a regular basis!

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

NYC Bees reach combined 4K followers on social
Our supporters' group hit a nice little milestone in late July, surpassing a combined 4,000 followers on our six respective social media platforms: X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and TikTok. Links to each platform are listed above. Thanks for the incredible support, and keep spreading the good word!

Club signs Ligue 1 Team of the Year MF Sangare
Brentford made a splash this offseason with the signing of 24-year-old midfielder Mamadou Sangare from Lens. On Aug. 1, the Mali international inked a five-year deal after completing his 2025-26 season with Lens in Ligue 1. He was named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year, as well.

"He fits everything we want from a Brentford player, on and off the pitch," Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said. "He'll be a player that I think will become very, very popular with the fans."

Brentford News & Notes
Henderson departs for Chelsea: Midfielder Jordan Henderson, whose veteran leadership was crucial in the early months of the 2025-26 season, has departed Brentford and he will be joining Chelsea for the upcoming campaign. The 36-year-old featured briefly for England during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but his tournament was cut short after injuring his wrist during a celebration over the advertising boards. Henderson played in his fourth World Cup. Even though Henderson was signed through the 2026-27 season, the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract early.

Rennes, Frankfurt on preseason docket: We'll finally get to enjoy some on-field Brentford football this month, with a couple preseason friendlies on the horizon. Brentford travels to France to face Rennes on Saturday, Aug. 8, followed by a home match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, Aug. 15. The club has said both games will be broadcast, but details have not been released.

In preparation for these games and many more throughout the season, we've introduced a miniature #BeesIn30 reel to get you caught up with the latest in a mere 30 seconds. Hope this component fills a void in your busy schedules!

NYC Bees and the World Cup: It already feels like a long time ago, but North America's hosting of the World Cup was certainly a big part of the summer for many of us NYC Bees. Thanks for some of the photos during the group stage of the tournament, covering multiple matches in the U.S. and Canada.

We also had a Red Lion meet-up with Beesotted's Billy "The Bee" Grant for Norway-France, as well as a run-in with Alex Hill, the creator of the one-man show Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse, during the England victory over Norway.

Obviously the tournament (and FIFA) continues to have its share of embarrassing moments away from the actual football, but the passion of this wonderful game ultimately shone through, and that's the most important thing!

In the media: Our NYC Bees community had a little shout-out in George Moriarty's article on Axios: "Choose Your Premier League Adventure." ... I was fortunate to connect with BBC Radio London a couple times during the World Cup for Total Sport with Rob Green. Hopefully that's a new show we can join again during the upcoming season! ... NYC Bee Abhi Goyal rejoined the folks at the Don't Know Much About Football podcast in mid-June. The show's panel covered an array of topics that defined the 2025-26 campaign. Make sure to check out Abhi's appearance!

Quick hits: Back on July 3, Brentford worked out a new deal with defender Michael Kayode through June of 2032. ... Brentford B signed New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Aidan Stokes to a season-long loan. We're looking forward to seeing how one of our locals performs in West London! ... The club signed Callum Wilson to a one-season contract on July 9, and Nigerian international Benjamin Frederick was promoted to the first team on July 10. ... Brentford signed former Burnley forward Jaidon Anthony to a four-year deal. ... The Brentford Women's schedule through November has been released, and they will open play in the London and South East Regional Premier Division on Sunday, Aug. 16. ... Brentford released their 2026-28 home kit and their 2026-27 away kit last month -- something to potentially budget for!

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' Goyal recaps season with Don't Know Much About Football pod

NYC Bee Abhi Goyal rejoined the folks at the Don't Know Much About Football podcast! The show put together a panel for a Premier League review show and covered a wide array of topics that defined the 2025-26 campaign.

Abhi's appeared on several shows with this program, so it's been fantastic that to have him representing our NYC Brentford supporters' group on a regular basis!

NYC Bees chat World Cup, Brentford on BBC Radio London's Total Sport

In the recap of the 2025-26 Premier League season and the prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joined Total Sport with Rob Green on BBC Radio London on June 8.

The segment included a nice mix of topics, including the NYC Brentford supporters' group, thoughts on the World Cup starting up stateside, the anticipation of Thiago and other Brentford players heading into the tournament, and much more!

Big thanks for having us on the show. There's a good chance we might join Total Sport again a few weeks into the World Cup for our perspective, so stay tuned!

Newsletter: Biggest Red Lion turnout, Thiago Player of Year, WC call-ups

Hi NYC Bees, Premier League Season No. 5 is in the books, and while Brentford missed out on Europe, it was certainly a greater-than-expected showing if you look at the big picture! And we've got loads of football ahead. The FIFA World Cup is on the horizon, with the final taking place in East Rutherford, New Jersey in mid-July. Here are some highlights and other noteworthy bits of news in the meantime. Thanks for the continued support in NYC, it's amazing where we've taken this supporters' group in such a short time!

50 Bees fans at NYC's Red Lion for finale
Brentford's season finale was certainly a huge spectacle here in the Big Apple! We drew 50 Bees supporters at the club's biggest overseas spot, The Red Lion, for the 1-1 draw at Liverpool. This was our largest turnout since we've been hosting NYC Bees events over the past five years. Brentford finished the season in ninth place, marking the first time the club has posted back-to-back top-10 finishes in the Premier League! Qualifying for European competition will have to wait at least another season, but we're close!

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

Brentford News & Notes
Thiago named Brentford Player of the Year: It was unanimous from the supporters and players: Thiago was named Brentford Player of the Year during a ceremony held on May 20. It really comes as no surprise after Thiago set a club record for goals in a Premier League season (22), finishing second in the league's Golden Boot race behind Manchester City's Erling Haaland. Among some of the other recognitions, Mathias Jensen earned Goal of the Season for his long-distance strike against Manchester United, Ashley Cheatley was Brentford Women Supporters' Player of the Year, and Asees Sangha won the Brentford Women's Player of the Year after recording 11 goals and 5 assists in 29 games.

Thiago was also named to the Premier League Fan Team of the Season, and the BBC Sport Premier League Team of the Season.

Four call-ups for World Cup: The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, and we're lucky to have a handful of Brentford players across North America in the competition! The meteoric rise of Thiago with both club and now country (Brazil) will certainly be the one to watch. Midfielder Jordan Henderson is back with the England squad, defender Kris Ajer is representing Norway, and defender Aaron Hickey was named to Scotland's national team. Good luck guys!

Club launching girls' academy in 2026-27: In late May, the club announced the introduction of a girls' academy as part of their development pathway. The academy will include U14 and U16 squads, and a U18 Trust side, competing in the Junior Premier League. Among other news, the Brentford Women will play their home fixtures at Uxbridge Football Club in 2026-27.

Top-5 moments of 2025-26: I can't speak for everyone, but I figured I'd put my top moments of the 2025-26 season out there. My return to West London for Brentford's win over Liverpool was obviously among the group, as well as owner Matthew Benham's New York City appearance at The Red Lion. Hopefully you'll agree with a few of these choices!

Quick hits: Brentford announced a couple player moves just after the season, with midfielder Ryan Trevitt to leave the club, and Reiss Nelson returning to Arsenal following his season-long loan. Trevitt made five first-team appearances across all competitions, and Nelson made 14 appearances this past season in all competitions. ... The Brentford Women confirmed the departure of 11 players from the club this offseason. ... Former Bees center back Ben Mee announced his decision to retire from football in early May. Congrats on a great career! ... We had a few media hits to close out the month, ranging from the Shades of Blue podcast to preview our game against Man City, a halftime appearance on NBC, and our regular spot on Premier League Fanzone Live on Peacock prior to our road game at Liverpool. We'll make sure to keep a strong presence on all of these channels moving forward! ... To cap off the season, I thought it would be fitting to call out the so-called "expert" pundits on their relegation predictions. We'll be underestimated many more times down the road, but the likes of Wayne Rooney and Robbie Fowler deserved to have their negative predictions called out. See you for Season 6 in the Premier League in a few months!

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

Charlie

Brentford at Manchester City preview with Shades of Blue Podcast

NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr helped preview the May 9 Brentford at Manchester City game with our good friends at the Shades of Blue Podcast. Host Crunk Chocolate spent about an hour with us for their Breaking Bread preview program.

The first 10 minutes are available on their YouTube channel, and the full interview is on the channel's Patreon premium content. Check it out!

NYC Bees Newsletter: Final stretch, Fan Fest recap, Forever Bees

Hi again NYC Bees, we're down to the final month of the season! Let's finish off our fifth Premier League campaign in strong form on the pitch and off. Here are some items to get you up to speed:

Four-match May schedule at Red Lion
We'll be at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St., for Brentford's final four matches of the season in May! Fortunately everything is on the weekend, too, starting with our May 2 fixture against a tough West Ham side that's fighting off relegation. Our season finale is on Sunday, May 24, at Liverpool. See the graphic for our full meet-up schedule.

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

Recapping PL Fan Fest in Tampa
A big thank you to Bruce and Sarah Muni for repping New Jersey and our NYC Bees to provide some color from the Premier League Fan Fest on April 18-19 in Tampa, Florida! They connected with local supporters and Brentford's impressive group: club ambassador Marcus Gayle, plus Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo who juggled appearance duties and their ongoing rehab. Our result that weekend wasn't quite what we had hoped (scoreless draw against Fulham), but Brentford made the most of the stateside connection, whether it was the fan-favorite Michael Kayode/long throw-in station or the Q&A held at Shuffle. Tallahassee-based Bees supporter Reggie Grant wrote up a nice recap for Beesotted, and Atlanta's Michel Cowdery spoke with Across the Seas But Forever Bees to share his highlights.

Abhi Goyal returns to Forever Bees pod
Following our match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, NYC Bee Abhi Goyal hopped on the Across the Seas But Forever Bees podcast! He joined co-hosts Tim Searls and Greville Waterman after the Bees' hard-fought 2-1 loss to Man U. The group had an in-depth conversation about several of our players such as Kevin Schade, Reiss Nelson, and Josh Dasilva in his return to the bench, our European chances and more!

Brentford News & Notes
Valdimarsson signs extension: Backup goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson signed a new long-term contract on April 24 that keeps him with the Bees through the 2029-30 season. The 24-year-old Icelandic international has made 12 appearances for us in all competitions, and securing his services certainly is a promising move as he continues to serve a crucial -- not-so-glamorous -- role behind Caoimhin Kelleher.

Thiago sets single-season record: With his brace against Everton on April 11, Brentford forward Thiago established a single-season club record for goals in a Premier League season! That match brought him up to 21 PL goals in 2025-26, surpassing the previous mark of 20 shared by Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo.

Academy earns top status: The Brentford Academy has been awarded Category One status by the Premier League -- the highest level under the Elite Player Performance Plan -- just four years after reopening. Starting in 2026-27, the club will compete in Premier League 2 and the U18 Premier League. The club intends to continue to operate the Brentford B team.

Quick hits: In the London and South East Premier League, Brentford Women captain Maddie Phillips was named LSE Player of the Month for March, tallying three goals and an assist across all competitions for that stretch. ... In the latest episode of the Ultra World Podcast, co-host Sean Cassels took a moment to look back on the show's visit with the NYC Bees at The Red Lion, expressing his appreciation of the club and our fandom. Hopefully we'll see a return visit soon! ... The Premier League Fanzone program booked us for a sixth time this season to preview the Brentford road match against Manchester United. The show is broadcast live on Mondays and Fridays, on Peacock stateside. If you're interested in participating in their program next season, please let us know and we'd be happy to connect you to their production team!

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' Abhi Goyal returns to Forever Bees podcast

Following Brentford FC's match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, NYC Bee Abhi Goyal hopped on the Across the Seas But Forever Bees podcast!

He joined co-hosts Tim Searls and Greville Waterman after the Bees' hard-fought 2-1 loss to Man U. The group had an in-depth conversation about several of our players such as Kevin Schade, Reiss Nelson, and Josh Dasilva in his return to the bench, our European chances and more.

If you're interested in joining the show, you can reach out directly to Tim at timsearls@hotmail.com, or connect with us NYC Bees and we can provide some guidance as well.

Previewing Brentford at Man U for Premier League Fanzone Live

Premier League Fanzone Live booked us for their Monday, April 27 show to preview Brentford FC's road match against Manchester United. NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr was part of a lengthy segment in the latter third of the show, hosted by Anita Jones and Leroy Rosenior.

This marked the sixth occasion the NYC Bees have either had an appearance or feature segment with Fanzone during the 2025-26 season. Thanks as always for the invite!