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.

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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!

Recapping Premier League Fan Fest in Tampa, Florida

Thank you to New Jersey-based Bruce and Sarah Muni for representing the NYC Bees and providing some color during the Premier League Fan Fest on April 18-19 in Tampa, Florida!

They connected with local Brentford supporters and the club's impressive group that featured 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.

Brentford FC Itinerary: Premier League Fan Fest in Tampa, Florida

Brentford FC has provided some details for the Premier League Fan Fest, which takes place April 18-19 in Tampa, Florida. The biggest update is special fan event at Shuffle on Saturday, a few hours after the Brentford v Fulham match.

Here is a breakdown of what will be taking place:

Friday, April 17:
8 p.m. ET: Men in Blazers Live from Tampa Bay at 1920, 1920 E. 7th Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET. (Tickets)

Saturday, April 18:
7:30 a.m. ET: Brentford v Fulham at Day 1 of Premier League Fan Fest, at Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave. Event opens at 6:30 a.m. ET.

12:30 p.m. ET: Brentford Fan Event / Q&A at Shuffle, 2612 N. Tampa St.

Sunday, April 19:
9 a.m. ET: Day 2 of Premier League Fan Fest, at Armature Works. Four PL games, including three at the 9 a.m. slot.

The Brentford FC staff will be in Tampa from Thursday through Sunday at Fan Fest. Across the weekend, they'll be taking over Tampa with a Brentford FC Treasure Hunt, where you can scan QR codes around the city to collect points and earn prizes. Complete the full set and you receive a Brentford home shirt. Download the Brentford app and log in before you start this.

The staff specifics (we can probably guess on the ambassador front who will be in town) and other details have not been posted yet on Brentford's official channels, but we'll stay on top of any other information.

Enjoy the Sunshine State and some Brentford football if you're headed there!