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BU AGM 2025 ANNOUNCED
Our AGM is at 6.30pm, UK time, January 21st 2025.
You can register now!
When you register, please use the email address we used to send you this email. That’s the one you’ll need to use to log in to our Zoom event
Do you want to use a different email address? That’s fine but please just email us at hello@beesunited.org.uk with details of the preferred email address you’d like to register with. Our event is Member only hence your email proves you are a BU member.
Our special guest is Stephen Torpey. Stephen, Head of Brentford’s Academy – see next!
Get your questions ready for Stephen when you register – see some questions below!
Once you have registered you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom which will be sent after the 7th of January
All our AGM documents are now online
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PHIL GILES ON STEPHEN TORPEY ACADEMY DIRECTOR
Phil Giles, Director of Football
“ Building the BFC Academy is the next and most critical part of Brentford’s journey. Our aim is for the BFC Academy to be admired as the most caring and progressive Football Academy in the World. A keystone to that ambition is the appointment of Academy Director Stephen Torpey who I believe is a truly world class appointment and will be a major asset to the club for years to come.”
Building the BFC Academy is the next and most critical part of Brentford’s journey. A £50m five year investment commitment into the Jersey road facility is but one further step. After PL promotion, the club are now on a steep trajectory to create an Academy from scratch, to being recognised as Category 2, from the start of this season and with ambitions to be a Category 1 facility.
The vision belongs to the whole club: Matthew Benham, Director of Football Phil Giles, Thomas Frank, and the entire Academy staff and the day to day team who all share the responsibility, for driving the next generation of talent to reach its full potential. It all sits with Academy Director Stephen Torpey.
With 20+ years in elite coaching on his CV, an England shirt at youth level and formerly with Liverpool and Manchester City – his aim is to see if Brentford can find its own Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer or Phil Foden.
Stephen is our guest interviewee following our AGM on January 21st – kick off for the whole event is 18.30. We have got some questions lined up – how about you?
- Pele was 18 in 1958, when he first played in the world cup, the youngest World Cup Captain was Tony Meola, USA, 1990. Who are our future stars?
- Are our youngsters at school or college – is it like in the American college system?
- Are they amateurs or professional?
- For the youngest players – are parents involved?
- Does our squad all come from (or must they come from) Ealing Hounslow Richmond? – Could they come from Hammersmith + Fulham?
- So, why Brentford not Fulham or Chelsea?
Get your own questions ready for Stephen to add them to your AGM registration zoom page!
You can register now
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FEATURE
CHRISTMAS – IT’S IMPORTANT, BUT NOT DECISIVE
Quote Arsene Wenger! Peter Crumpler, lifelong Bees fan and Church of England minister, disagrees. Christmas is great news, about new life, light in the darkness and it’s about hope – Bees are used to hope!
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FEATURE
CHRISTIAN ON HIS CAPTAIN
– Honest
– Optimistic
– Huge positivity
– Charismatic
– Very hard working with a total winning culture
He’s just very good at being himself
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FEATURE
DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER
Our plaque unveiling gave thanks to the 31 Bees we lost in conflict. Some of the players and soldiers stories were told online so here they are again and with thanks to Paul Briers for 15 years of thorough research
October – FOREVER REMEMBERED
November – OUR PLAYERS WHO DIED IN THE SOMME
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FEATURE
“NO ONE IN THIS CLUB HELD ME BACK, THEY LET ME BE MYSELF”
Pontus was at Brentford just four years. He speaks about the Bees with heartfelt love and Sam Tabuteau had the chance to interview Pontus just before our Hall of Fame event, on life and the playoff final.
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FEATURE
INSIDE THE MIND OF THOMAS FRANK
Stuart Hughes, BBC journalist, foreign correspondent, studied all the recent broadcast coverage of TF – it is amazing stuff!
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FROM THE BU BOARD
To all our regular and occasional donors of money and of items for the archive, thank you all so much – we are here because of you
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‘He’s just very good at being himself’ Christian Nørgaard
To all our Members and all Bees everywhere, have a superb 2025
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Please send any comments or suggestions to admin@beesunited.org.uk.
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