Newsletter: Owner Matthew Benham at Red Lion, April schedule, Fan Fest

Hello NYC Bees, it's been another stretch of huge moments for our group, highlighted of course by the appearance of Brentford owner Matthew Benham at our Greenwich Village-based pub, The Red Lion! The annual Premier League Fan Fest is also on the horizon in the states, so there's plenty to look forward to as the season winds down in a couple months. Some news and notes for you as we head into April:

April schedule at Red Lion
Now that we're out of the FA Cup, our April schedule is much thinner, and unfortunately a kickoff/broadcast change will limit our watch events. We are getting together for two of the three Brentford games this month at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St. Because the kickoff time of our April 18 game against Fulham was moved up to 7:30 a.m. ET, we will NOT be getting together at The Red Lion for that one. If a heavy amount of supporter interest is there for a 7:30 a.m. ET watch event, we are always open to having the conversations with the pub, so please voice your thoughts! See the graphic for our full meet-up schedule.

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Owner Matthew Benham joins NYC Bees at Red Lion
March 9, 2026: We'll certainly remember that date moving forward. Less than five years after forming the NYC Bees, we hosted Brentford owner Matthew Benham at The Red Lion! The moment started with some good fortune: Big shout-out to Ben Reynolds who was taking part in the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. After Benham's discussion with Men In Blazers' Roger Bennett on March 7, Ben rushed ahead of the pack toward the majority owner, introduced himself and invited him to the NYC Bees' FA Cup watch event; it just so happened Benham would be in NYC. Lo and behold, he appeared during the opening minutes of West Ham-Brentford, and stayed with us through the final whistle!

The result didn't pan out the way we wanted, but it didn't sour the moment. With a dozen of us Bees supporters on hand for the weekday afternoon fixture (not too bad a turnout for workday hours!), we savored the incredibly rare opportunity to enjoy our favorite club alongside the man responsible for Brentford's tremendous rise in the Premier League. What a treat!

Benham Stateside:
Men In Blazers | Postgame Photo Op | Celebrating at Red Lion

Premier League Fan Fest in Tampa
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, the annual Premier League Fan Fest is coming up from April 18-19 in Tampa, Florida. At least a couple folks from our supporters' group will be on site, and I recently confirmed with the Brentford front office that they will be in attendance (as usual). Details are still being worked out, but the club will announce their itinerary, representatives and more in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Brentford faces Fulham at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 18. Fan Fest will be held at Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave., and that Saturday's event opens at 6:30 a.m. ET. Hopefully we'll see a few stateside Bees supporters on the broadcast!

Bruce Muni debuts on Forever Bees podcast
It was nice to have yet another supporter from the tri-state area join the U.S.-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees show! Bruce Muni made his podcast debut with hosts Tim Searls and Greville Waterman this week to chat Brentford fandom and football. For those of you who aren't part of our weekly circle, Bruce is among an incredibly dedicated group that commutes in from New Jersey to join us on match days at The Red Lion. Great show, give it a listen!

Brentford News & Notes
Thiago earns first Brazil call-up: In the midst of our current international break, the biggest call-up story without question was forward Thiago earning his first trip with Brazil's senior team squad! Thiago's family celebration of the announcement drew millions of hits on social media, too. The 24-year-old has obviously been deserving of this with a stellar 2025-26 campaign for the Bees. Earlier this season, Thiago broke the record for most goals by a Brazilian in a Premier League season, and he's on track to set a Brentford single-season record for goals in the PL. Thiago made his Brazil debut during Thursday's match against France at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. For this March window, 22 Brentford players are joining their senior or youth national teams. That's the largest grouping in club history.

Bees bow out of FA Cup in PK shootout: Brentford came from behind twice, but after a 2-2 scoreline through 120 minutes, West Ham prevailed 5-3 in the penalty kick shootout on March 9 to advance to the FA Cup's quarterfinals. Thiago scored both goals for the road side, including a game-tying penalty kick. The shootout felt like an afterthought, though, mainly because of the disappointing execution/decision of Dango Ouattara's Panenka attempt, which was easily saved by Alphonso Areola. Live and learn. It's now a thing of the past, and hopefully we'll make a deeper tournament run in 2026-27.

Brentford Women fall in Capital Cup semis: The fifth-tier Brentford Women came up short in the semifinals of the Capital Cup, falling 4-3 to third-tier side AFC Wimbledon on March 15 at Bedfont Sports Club. Renai McCrea and Maddie Phillips each tallied a goal, and the Bees benefited from an own goal in the first half. "We battled to the end and took the fight to Wimbledon, and I'm really proud of the girls," head coach Carly Williams said. "We talked about making sure that we showed our quality, and we did that."

Quick hits: We have now had a combination of five appearances and feature segments this 2025-26 season on Premier League Fanzone, which is shown stateside live on Peacock. I was brought in on the day of Brentford's March 16 match against Wolves. If anyone is interested in making an appearance this season or next, please let me know and I'll connect you with their production team! ... Because Football just collaborated with us for an Instagram post to highlight us again on March 21! The NYC Bees are profiled in Because Football's Road Trip to the World Cup series. ... Brentford ran a fantastic in-stadium video prior to Bees-Wolves, compiling all the negative predictions from the pundits who thought the worst of our fate in 2025-26. Check it out!

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

Charlie

Bruce Muni debuts on Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast

It was nice to have yet another Brentford FC supporter from the tri-state area join the U.S.-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees show!

Bruce Muni made his podcast debut with hosts Tim Searls and Greville Waterman this week to chat Brentford fandom and football. For those of you who aren't part of our weekly circle, Bruce is among an incredibly dedicated group that commutes in from New Jersey to join us on match days at The Red Lion.

Great show, give it a listen!

Because Football promos NYC Bees again with Instagram collaboration

Our NYC Bees were featured earlier this season by Because Football. Prior to our March 21 match, the budding footballing channel collaborated with us for an Instagram post to highlight us again!

Andrew Baggaley is the host of the channel, and the Brentford supporters' group was profiled in his Road Trip to the World Cup series. The New York / New Jersey segment spread across four episodes. You can access our contributions HERE.

NYC Bees garner fifth spot this season on PL Fanzone on Peacock

The NYC Bees have now had a combination of five appearances or feature spots during the 2025-26 season on Premier League Fanzone Live, shown stateside on Peacock. The latest was a March 16 spot with NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr to preview the Brentford-Wolves match later that day. Other topics included Thiago, the Bees' run for European competition, and an overall synopsis of how Brentford could finish at the end of the campaign.

Fanzone is broadcast on Mondays and Fridays. This season, we've primarily been on the Monday show with Anita Jones and Leroy Rosenior, and they've been great in giving us ample segments (i.e. 3 minutes for the latest show).

If you are interested in participating in this worldwide live program either later this season or for 2026-27, reach out to us and we'd be happy to connect you with the PL Fanzone production team! 

Brentford owner Matthew Benham joins NYC Bees at The Red Lion

March 9, 2026: That will certainly be a memorable date for NYC Brentford supporters moving forward!

Less than five years after forming the NYC Bees, our group hosted Brentford owner Matthew Benham at The Red Lion!

The moment started with some good fortune: Big shout-out to Ben Reynolds who was taking part in the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. The event included a March 7 segment featuring Benham and Men In Blazers' Roger Bennett. Shortly after the conclusion of an intriguing 45-minute discussion, Ben rushed ahead of the pack toward the majority owner and invited him to the NYC Bees' FA Cup watch event; it just so happened Benham would be in NYC.

Lo and behold, he appeared during the opening minutes of West Ham-Brentford!

Benham Stateside:
Men In Blazers | Postgame Photo Op | Celebrating at Red Lion

The result didn't pan out the way Brentford supporters wanted, but it didn't sour the moment. With a dozen Bees supporters on hand for the weekday afternoon fixture (not too bad a turnout for workday hours!), we savored the incredibly rare opportunity to enjoy our favorite club alongside the man responsible for Brentford's tremendous rise in the Premier League.

What a treat!

Newsletter: March slate, Because Football feature, Thiago new deal

Hi NYC Bees, down to a few months left in this surprisingly strong campaign! We're also fortunate to have drawn some new NYC Bees feature content through Because Football, to go with several other media spots! Here's some news and notes for you heading into March:

Four-game March schedule at Red Lion
Our March schedule is a bit unorthodox with only one Saturday game, but we'll be at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St., for the full four-game slate! We open the month on Tuesday, March 3, at Bournemouth, then resume FA Cup play (fifth round) on Monday, March 9, at West Ham. For folks who might be traveling during this stretch, keep in mind that three of these fixtures take place after the USA's Daylight Savings Time, which means we are four hours behind the UK instead of the typical five hours. See the graphic for our full meet-up schedule.

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

NYC Bees spotlighted in Because Football series
Andrew Baggaley of Because Football featured the NYC Bees and Brentford as part of his New York/New Jersey stop and the Road Trip to the World Cup series! Andrew joined us at The Red Lion back in September, and he spoke with several of us (myself, Bruce Muni and Sarah Muni). We were the closing feature of Episode 1 of this four-part series. Additionally, Bruce was included in the "What it means to host the World Cup" section of the third episode, and they used my audio for the opening sentence of the second episode.

We're humbled that our little story was a part of this series. Andrew's covered every part of our football space in N.Y./NJ, so make sure to check it out. It's a perfect build-up series as we get ready for the FIFA World Cup here in North America this summer!

High billing for PL Fanzone on Peacock
Thanks to Brentford's success story, the Premier League Fanzone program is finally taking some notice! I joined the international live show a couple times this past month, including a Feb. 9 appearance prior to Brentford-Arsenal, which landed us on the second segment (which rarely happens). In addition to previewing that eventual 1-1 draw, I took part in the Feb. 2 show following our shorthanded road victory against Aston Villa. Hosts Anita Jones and Leroy Rosenior were on the Monday program on both occasions. Fanzone runs on Mondays and Fridays. If you're interested in participating in this show, which is shown on Peacock in the states, please reach out and I can connect you to their production folks!

Brentford News & Notes
Thiago inks new contract: Brentford forward Thiago, the No. 2 goal scorer in the Premier League so far this season, signed a new contract with the club that extends his deal to 2031. The same day of his new deal, the 24-year-old garnered January Premier League Player of the Month accolades. No question Bees fans want to see a long stay from the Brazilian. With his rising stock, we all know there will be other interested parties in the footballing market, especially if Thiago gets a Brazil call-up this summer. In any event, the Brentford front office did its due diligence. We could eventually be looking at the new largest outgoing transfer (above Bryan Mbeumo), but we're also potentially watching the best offensive performance from a Brentford player in the top tier of football. Let's enjoy it!

Historic road wins, hard-fought draw vs. Arsenal: It's tough to pick and choose which February moment stood out the most. If we're being honest with ourselves, not too much was expected from this daunting schedule. But Brentford stepped up in a number of moments, and rewrote a little history along the way. The Bees earned their first-ever league win at Villa Park, with a 10-man squad no less, upending Aston Villa 1-0. That was followed by Brentford's 3-2 win at Newcastle, the Bees' first victory at St. James' Park since 1934. Then there was a 1-1 draw against league-leading Arsenal, which actually felt like the full three points were there for the taking.

It's impossible to predict where things will finish a few months from now, but it's safe to say that reaching the 40-point mark by the 26th game, few were expecting that!

Onyeka to Coventry: Brentford's first signing of the Premier League era has likely seen his Bees tenure come to a close. Frank Onyeka has been loaned to Championship club Coventry City for the remainder of the season. The deal will become permanent if Coventry City gets promoted to the Premier League, and it's looking like this leap will occur, pending a drastic downfall in the Championship table. Onyeka made 87 appearances for the Bees in all competitions.

Brentford Women advance to Capital Cup semis: The Brentford Women tallied four second-half goals and routed Dorking Wanders, 5-0, to win their Capital Cup quarterfinal match on Feb. 15 and advance to the tournament's semifinal stage. Cloe O'Brien scored the lone first-half goal, and then her teammates chipped in with tallies by Renai McCrea, Ashley Cheatley, Becca Teale and Lucy Potter. The Bees will host AFC Wimbledon in the semifinals on March 15. ... In other team news, Carly Williams won LSE Premier Manager of the Month for January. Her side won all four January matches.

Quick hits: We added some new opposing-team correspondence to the mix. Brighton supporter and content creator Henry Proudlock included me as part of a Brentford-Brighton preview article and analysis on What Are Brighton Doing? Henry hinted at the possibility of a podcast launch, as well, so we might be further involved in this space down the road! ... Center back Benjamin Arthur joined Scottish Premiership side Celtic on loan for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. ... Brentford appointed David Rainford the club's new Academy director. He had previously worked at the Premier League as head of education and player care. ... Premier League Fan Fest is taking place April 18-19 in Tampa, Florida. Brentford takes on Fulham that weekend, and the club's front office usually brings a number of staffers and a couple ambassadors. Check it out if you feel like making the trek to the Sunshine State! ... If you haven't come across the Michael Kayode throw-in baby reveal, it's a must-watch!

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

Charlie

Brentford guest contribution: 'What Are Brighton Doing?' preview

The NYC Bees have added another opposing team platform to collaborate with! NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr provided some Brentford perspective for the site "What Are Brighton Doing?" The Q&A portion was part of the preview content for the Feb. 21 matchup between host Brentford and Brighton.

The platform is currently focused on articles and written analysis, but there is the possibility that it could include a podcast component further down the road. In any event, hopefully this becomes a regular location where we can contribute our Bees analysis!

NYC Bees, Brentford spotlighted in Because Football series

Andrew Baggaley of Because Football featured the NYC Bees Brentford Supporters' Group as part of his New York/New Jersey stop and the Road Trip to the World Cup series!

Andrew joined us at The Red Lion back in September, and he spoke with several of us about our group (Charlie Corr, Bruce Muni, Sarah Muni), which was the closing feature of Episode 1 of his four-part series. We highly recommend you check out his extensive work, where he covers every nook and cranny in our football space in the N.Y./NJ area.

In addition to the first episode, Bruce was included in the "What it means to host the World Cup" section of the third episode, and the opening sentence/audio of the second episode has a familiar voice! (Charlie)

We're humbled that our little story was a part of this series. Andrew's doing a sensational job and for the history buffs of this fine game, he taps into so much depth. The perfect build-up as we get ready for the FIFA World Cup here in North America this summer!