Paul was featured by Off the Line Blog which focuses on the best of the Football League and Non-League in England. Paul Buckle discusses his time at Torquay United, his current role in the USA, his former players in coaching, the best players he has managed during his time with The Gulls, and discussed the current failures at Plainmoor.
Paul Buckle featured on the First Half Podcast
Paul was featured to discuss Cup Competitions in the UK and whether they are still good. He covers Giant-killing which was best seen when Paul led Luton Town to a miraculous victory over National League Luton Town away to Premier League team at the time, Norwich City FC. This podcast is available through Apple Podcasts.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-first-half-pod/id1702760454?i=1000627238127
Paul Buckle features on the Highbury Squad
Paul is on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel which is hosted by Sophie Nicolaou with Kevin Campbell. Paul Buckle, being the former Manager of Luton Town FC, covers Arsenal vs Luton and more.
Across the Seas but Forever Bees – An American Brentford Podcast
Paul Buckle joins John Kenkel and Greville Waterman with Gary Blissett on the Brentford American podcast to discuss the wonderful preseason tour of the East Coast by the Bees.
Click the link here to listen for this insightful episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2021243/13345722
Buckle awarded 549th appearance cap
During the Premier League Series in the US, Brentford Football Club and more specifically club legend Peter Gilham awarded Paul Buckle with a cap to recognize him as the 549th player to wear the Bee’s shirt in their history.
This was an emotional recognition for Buckle, who was also recently named a US Ambassador for the club. Below provides pictures of the moment at FedEx Field before Brentford’s game with Aston Villa to finish their American tour.
You can listen to Paul on the Beesotted podcast here.
You can view more about Brentford Football Club’s tour in the US here.
You can learn more about Paul’s role with Brentford here.
BRENTFORD ANNOUNCE OFFICIAL CLUB AMBASSADORS FOR US TOUR
Brentford has announced that former players Gary Blissett, Paul Buckle and Marcus Gayle will be the club’s official ambassadors for the upcoming US tour; the Bees travel to America this month to compete in the Premier League Summer Series.
The trio, who made a combined 475 league appearances for the west Londoners, will play a pivotal role in promoting the club and fostering a sense of community among fans across the United States.
Gayle started his career at Brentford in 1988, where he scored 27 goals in 194 appearances for the club before joining Wimbledon in 1994.
The forward played a key role in Brentford’s promotion to the First Division in the 1991/92 season, which saw him inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2015.
He returned to the club in 2005, making 37 appearances, before his contract with the Bees ended a year later.
Excited about the upcoming tour, Gayle said: “I am so excited and absolutely delighted to work alongside Gary Blissett and Paul Buckle, who I have known from the age of 16, as ambassadors.
“We have great stories to share about the club from when we first joined, to where the club is now.”
Blissett played for Brentford from 1987 to 1993, appearing in more than 200 matches and scoring over 100 goals.
He was a vital part of the club’s Third Division title-winning side and, along with Gayle, is in the Bees Hall of Fame.
Blissett said: “I am very excited to once again have this connection with the club I played with for six fantastic years.
“After taking part in the recent Premier League Fan Fest in Orlando on behalf of the Bees, it gave me that buzz to want to do more.
“To be asked by Brentford to play an ambassadorial role for this tour makes me feel proud to be part of this club once again.”
“To be asked by Brentford to play an ambassadorial role for this tour makes me feel proud to be part of this club once again”
Buckle began his career as an apprentice at Brentford, turning professional in July 1989. He played 57 league games for the Bees across a six-year spell, scoring once.
The midfielder also played a key role in the club’s Third Division title-winning campaign in 1992.
Buckle stated: “Having started my career as a teenager at Brentford and gone on to play for the club for six years, Brentford has always been close to my heart.
“Then, when my family and I moved to the US 10 years ago, I never thought I’d be able to see us stateside. But following our promotion to the Premier League, that of course became a wonderful reality.
“To be an official club ambassador for the Premier League Summer Series is something which makes me feel incredibly proud. It’s a real privilege to wear the red and white on this side of the Atlantic.
“And the icing on the cake is, of course, that my wife Rebecca Lowe will be presenting all the games for NBC, and our seven-year-old Teddy will be a mascot at the game against Aston Villa!”
Fan engagement is a vital aspect of the trio’s ambassadorial duties, and Blissett, Buckle and Gayle will actively interact with supporters, attending fan events, meet-and-greets and fan zone activities.
In and around our Summer Series games, the ambassadors will provide support in various matchday operations, and will be involved in pre-match activities, half-time promotions and post-match engagements.
You can view the full article here: https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/article/club-news-brentford-official-club-ambassadors-us-tour-premier-league-summer-series-marcus-gayle-paul-buckle-gary-blissett
You can see the Summer Series here: https://www.premierleague.com/SummerSeries/Schedule
Elite Soccer Session with Paul Buckle
CROSSING AND FINISHING WITH SECOND PHASE SHOOTING
EX BEES GARY BLISSETT AND PAUL BUCKLE ENJOYING BRENTFORD’S AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Despite living in the USA for over 40 years, Reggie Gee (@ReggieGeee) isn’t one of the new breed of Brentford supporters the club has inherited after making their way to the top of the footballing pinnacle. Being born in Isleworth and going so school literally a hop skip and a jump from The Globe pub in Brentford, Reg would say he is Brentford through and through.
But for most of those years, the ability to actually watch his team was non-existent until fairly recently when Championship games started to get broadcast across The Globe. Now he is able watch is team play week in and week out. And he isn’t the only one.
Last weekend, American Premier League fans from all over the country descended on Orlando for Premier League Mornings Live Fan Fest from Universal Citywalk. This is the eighth in a series of events hosted by NBC Sport in which fans come together from all over and hang out at America’s biggest ‘Watch Party’. At the event, the fans watch their teams in action alongside loads of other Premier League fans while pundits and special guests provide their analysis during the network’s TV coverage.
Reg, and a number of other Brentford fans including ex Brentford players Gary Blissett and Paul Buckle, headed down to Orlando to see what the fuss was all about.
When Brentford got promoted to the Premier League, suddenly the club was exposed to a whole new set of people who have embraced the English top league, enthusiastically taking ‘soccer’ under their belt.
Many of these fans have never set foot in an English stadium but that hasn’t stopped them from embracing teams across the board. Naturally first up, you get plenty of fans supporting the easy options. Your Arsenal fans. And your Man United fans. Your Liverpool fans and your Tottenham fans. Not to mention Man City fans and Chelsea fans.
Although I did meet a Man United fan Devin who flies to Manchester at least half a dozen times a season from Tampa to go watch his team fair play.
Then you get some fans who have gone a slightly off-piste – backing the likes of Leicester City and West Ham and Aston Villa.
Dare I say it, there are a fair few Fulham fans, off the back of their time in the Premier League in the noughties.
Then you get the proper left-fielders. Those who made the decision to back the least glamorous sides in the division. The likes of your Wolves fans. And your Crystal Palace fans. Your Bournemouth and Forest fans and Southampton fans. Ones who backed your Norwiches and Burnleys.
And then there are the ones who made the decision a few years ago to support the mighty Bees.
ex Brentford players Gary Blissett and Paul Buckle with Brentford fans at The Orlando Premier League fanfest
Having lived in America for years, I have found it hard to come across fellow Brentford fans. In fact it was very rare to find anyone who had heard of Brentford. When I had my 6-a-side team’s name changed to ‘Brentford’ several years ago, none of my Tallahassee teammates had ever heard of the club. So the fact that the club is now in the limelight due to their Premier League promotion is quite a novelty for me.
So when Premier League Fest was announced in “nearby” Orlando, I didn’t hesitate on deciding to make the trip – quickly making plans to drive four hours with my youngest son Jadon in search of fellow Brentford fans, very few of whom can be found in north Florida where I live
Paul Buckle played for Brentford starting in the Steve Perriman era (1989), played right through Phil Holder’s promotion era and leaving in the Web Era (1994). He started life at Brentford as an apprentice, coming through the junior ranks with now club ambassador Marcus Gayle. These days, he is the Technical Advisor at USL team Hartford Athletic (second tier) in Connecticut. His wife, Rebecca Lowe, is one of the presenters on NBC’s broadcast of Premier League Live.
As Buckle socialized with fellow Bees supporters during the Orlando Fan Fest, he told me he is extremely proud of his former team and is enjoying watching their success.
“Living in America and seeing Brentford get into the Premier League was one of the best days of my life,” Buckle said
“Obviously, being there as an apprentice and as a pro, to win the league (Third Division) in 1992 with Gary Blissett, who’s here today, yeah, amazing. And to have my wife present the Premier League couldn’t be better.”
Buckle’s former Brentford teammate Gary Blissett was a guest on the NBC Premier League Live broadcast. Blissett played for Brentford from 1987-1993, appearing in more than 200 matches and scoring over 100 goals. He is the Director of Coaching for Youth Soccer club Florida Premier FC in Zephyrhills, situated 80 miles west of Orlando.
Blissett said no one should be surprised if Brentford continues performing in impressive fashion and stays in the Premier League for a while.
“They’re fearless. They’re brave. I think Thomas Frank must win Manager of the Year,” Blissett said
“I think he’s done an unbelievable job and we don’t have the superstars at Brentford. We just have a great team.”
The majority of fans who attended Orlando’s Fan Fest on Sunday were from the big clubs. Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal fans were in full effect wheras Brentford fans were definitely in the minority. Ironically, the fans who attached themselves to Brentford have said that has been a major reason for the club’s appeal.
Ian Anderson is from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and he recently adopted Brentford as his favourite team.
“I didn’t want to support Man City or the big clubs. I wanted, kind of, that underdog, and when they got promoted I had a friend, a Chelsea fan who knows a lot about soccer. He just started telling me this is the first time they’ve been up since the 40s.
The story of them coming up through the Championship (and) finally making it. I really liked the underdog story and I started following them. I didn’t have a team and I thought that was going to be the best choice.”
Steven D’Amico is from Orlando and didn’t have to travel far for the event. He has been supporting Brentford since summer 2021. He said he was laid up with an illness and began watching a lot of Premier League football. When it was time to choose a team to follow, for him the choice was obvious.
“They’re the small underdog club with the right attitude, with the right culture, friendly and unity driven with an owner who isn’t a jerk,” he said.
“And all of that combined made it the team to support. Because I was new to watching Premier League football … it would be really lame to root for Arsenal or (Manchester) City or (Manchester) United.”
Colin Passey was born in Brentford and has been following the Bees for 58 years since his dad and longtime Brentford fan, James Passey, took him to a match at Griffin Park when he was 4.
“My dad used to take me home and away and then I moved out here. But I still try to follow the Bees.”
Colin now splits his time between living in New Jersey and Florida.
“I’m used watching to the Division 1 playoffs and losing and then having another season there and then going up to the Championship,” he said.
“Then when we got close and we’re beaten by Fulham I was like, ‘That’s it.’ But they’ve done it and now they’re showing they can actually stay there.”
Dawn Crow travelled from Simpsonville, South Carolina, for the event. She’s been following Brentford for about three years and summed up why she roots for the Bees.
“They have passion and they’re scrappy and they have fight, and I just love rooting for the little guy instead of the big teams,” she said. “I like watching them all but I like the little Bees.”
At the event, Brentford fans watched their team draw 0-0 with Leeds to cement their Top 10 Premier League spot for another weekend, finishing the day in 8th place. It may be a long way to go for us USA fans to check out the Bus Stop in Hounslow. But the journey has certainly been worth it.
You can view the full article at this link: https://beesotted.com/ex-bees-gary-blissett-and-paul-buckle-enjoying-brentfords-american-revolution/
MEET THE BEE WHO IS BIG IN EL DORADO
Paul Buckle was one of the Brentford squad that won promotion 30 years ago. Now he lives in California, runs a successful soccer consultancy business and is married to a sports TV star.
For those who were there it is still a special memory: ‘I was at Peterborough away 2 May 1992’. The Bees went into that game not sure of promotion to Division Two (what’s now called the Championship) but a one-nil victory meant they came out as Champions of Division Three.They couldn’t take the trophy home, it was sitting at the game where Birmingham were expected to win. There’s a link to a great video report on this webpage
Everyone, players and fans alike, went back to Griffin Park for a celebration and ‘We are the Champions’ was played on the loudspeakers. There was even an open-top bus parade around Brentford and Hounslow.
Thirty years on the members of that squad are still in touch but they’ve never got together for a reunion. Amongst the farthest flung is Paul Buckle, one of no fewer than seven members of the squad who had joined the Club at Youth Team level.
Today Paul lives in El Dorado Hills in California, is a leading soccer consultant and is married to Rebecca Lowe, a star of American sports TV. He says that when those players look back ‘we all agree it was the best two years of our lives. It was a great success that eight of us made the first team.”
One of them was Marcus Gayle who is still in touch with Paul: ‘Title winners at 21 was fantastic with him. I first met Paul as he joined our Brentford youth team back in 1987. We forged a strong bond on and off the pitch at 16 that is still present today.
“Paul was the second one (Matthew Howard was the first) out from the youth team aged 17 to make his league debut versus York City. I was so proud, nervous and excited that there were two players from our youth team out there’.
Paul remembers the moment he was told about his debut: ‘it was the Friday before the last game of the season, I was doing my duties, cleaning my boots or something, when the youth coach Colin Lee walked in and said ‘get your stuff and get yourself home’.He said the same to Matt Howard.’You’re in the first team squad tomorrow’.
“We were on our way out and we could see all the other apprentices were gutted: ‘where are you going?’ they asked. ‘Bye lads’, we said, ‘we’re going home’. Competition for places was everything. It was a case of working together on a Saturday but during the week you were in massive competition”.
Marcus says: “Paul was a great guy to have around at training and matches, He would give me a look before games to say “You on it ? “, because he was on it and ready. Very reassuring to play alongside’.
Paul says “My years at Brentford were all about winning, we had an incredible youth team, the reserves won and the first team won, it was just a winning culture. Steve Perryman approached me to join when I was let go by Watford, he got me digs with his parents in Greenford, he picked me up to take me to training, that’s how committed those guys were”.
Brentford historian Greville Waterman says; “Paul Buckle was one of many who came through the all-conquering Brentford youth team of 1988/89 and looked to be quite a prospect when he broke into the Brentford team.
“A small, agile, quick, hard-working midfielder who was good on the ball and never stopped running, he never quite fulfilled his promise or established himself in the team, despite playing 35 times in 1990/91 and winning a Division Three Championship medal in 1992.
“The Bees preferred brawn to brain in midfield and, like so many others, Buckle fell out of contention under David Webb and was allowed to drift away.
“Brentford’s loss was Torquay, Exeter and Colchester’s gain as he became a key and dominant player at each club, winning promotion at Colchester and played nearly 350 Football League games in an excellent career before becoming a manager who gained varying levels of success at Torquay, Bristol Rovers, Luton Town and Cheltenham’.
Returning Torquay to the Football League as manager of the winning team in the 2009 Conference play-off final
In 2013 Paul made a dramatic lifestyle decision, he left Luton Town to live in America. His wife Rebecca Lowe, a former BBC sports presenter, had been hired as the lead studio host to anchor NBC’s coverage of the Premier League in the USA working from a studio complex in Connecticut. Paul was initially working with a football academy in nearby New York.
“In 2015 I got a break to go and became the Head Coach of Sacramento Republic in Northern California. We won the title in my second season. But Rebecca’s job was still on the other side of America. They planned on a family so came up with a strategy that has worked well for them.
“We moved here to California. Rebecca flies to the East Coast on the Friday to work for the weekend on the TV programmes, then comes back on the Sunday, then has the whole week at home in lovely weather now bringing up our little boy Teddy. We’ve been able to stay in one place because I’ve become a consultant working from home. I don’t travel too much but I’m involved in a lot of different clubs. Before that I’d moved around so many times”.In fact Paul made one more move back to the UK but it was a short-term one. For six months in 2019 he looked after the Under 23s at Southampton. “There I really got to understand how big clubs run and are successful.”
On his return to California Paul decided to switch from coaching to consultancy. He is now a Technical Advisor to owners of teams in the two biggest leagues: Major League Soccer (MLS) and United Soccer League `USL`.“Its mostly guiding, supporting owners to make decisions and best practice within each club. Its not rocket science, you need people who are experts in their fields, and you need to work together with a common goal”.
Rebecca’s career is going well too. NBC recently struck a six-year US broadcast rights deal with the Premier League worth over two billion dollars. NBC have chosen her to be a presenter on their Olympics coverage for every games since 2014.
“Rebecca has done extremely well . She is the face of the Premier League in America and gets recognised by people. She is the hardest working person that I know in terms of her commitment, drive and dedication.
Paul with son Teddy in Brentford kit at a Premier League fan day in Los Angeles. Bees v Leicester is on the big screen.
“We love living here. If you had told me what my professional and personal journey would turn to be I would have said ‘no chance’.”
You can see the full article here: https://www.beesunited.org.uk/in-focus/meet-the-bee-who-is-big-in-el-dorado/
El Dorado Hills Soccer Club Announces Changes to Leadership Team
Joe Champion retires, Club hires Adam Moffat and Paul Buckle
El Dorado Hills Soccer Club (EDHSC) is announcing changes to the executive leadership team. Joe Champion has announced his retirement as he pursues a career outside of soccer. We are deeply grateful for his 12 years of service to the club and supportive of his new career journey. We are looking forward to planning an event to celebrate his contributions to the club and wish him well as he begins a new chapter.
With Champion’s upcoming departure, it is with much excitement that the club announces the hiring of Adam Moffat as the new Director of Coaching and Paul Buckle as the Director of Club Development and Structure. Both hires are effective immediately.
Adam Moffat comes to EDHSC after an illustrious career in professional soccer. His background includes playing internationally and for multiple MLS and USL clubs before retiring in 2018. Most recently, he has been the CEO of Moffat Soccer Academy, a Folsom-based organization that offers opportunities for youth players to develop their game and character through local camps and clinics. “I love working with youth players because it allows me to be a coach in the truest sense of the word. Not only am I helping them gain the skills to become the best players they can be, I am also helping them become the best people
Additionally, EDHSC has hired international soccer expert Paul Buckle to be the Director of Club Development and Structure. Paul has an extensive history as a player, coach, and club advisor and is one of the only coaches in the world with an UEFA Pro Coaching License and US Pro Coaching License. Most recently, Buckle served as Technical Advisor to Landon Donovan at San Diego Loyal. His vast experience also includes being Lead Coach of the U23 team at Southampton FC of the Premier League, one of the leading clubs for development in the world, and Head Coach of Sacramento Republic FC, among others. Buckle’s wealth of experience will inform his role as strategic advisor to the club as he creates and implements coaching curriculum and player development.
Buckle will also serve as a board member as we direct the ongoing success of the club. According to Buckle, “EDHSC is an already stellar program with a commitment to excellence. One of the hallmarks of a successful club is a commitment to developing the coaching staff and equipping them to address the needs of individual players and overall teams. I am particularly excited about coming alongside our coaches as a mentor and partner. I’ll see you on the field!”
You can view more here: https://www.edhsc.org/2022-leadership-changes
Paul Buckle Consultancy 
