Honouring Maddy Cusack and Matt Beard This Suicide Prevention Month

Content warning: This article discusses suicide and mental health struggles, and may be distressing for some readers.

Over the weekend, football clubs nationwide honoured the memories of two community figures we lost to suicide in recent years. Sheffield United midfielder Maddy Cusack, who died on September 20th 2023, and respected coach Matt Beard, who passed away under similar tragic circumstances exactly two years later.

To truly understand the depth of these tragedies, we have to look beyond the headlines and remember the extraordinary people behind them. Maddy Cusack was only 27 years old when she passed, an extraordinary midfielder at Sheffield United, not only contributing as vice-captain on the pitch but additionally as the marketing executive for the club. Her mother Deborah, lovingly described her as being "absolute sunshine", shining both on and off the pitch. After contracting bronchiolitis at just eight weeks old, doctors warned her family that she would never be able to run or play sports due to severe lung damage. Yet, defying every medical expectation, Maddy ultimately became the very first player to reach 100 appearances for Sheffield United. She was also remembered as a wonderful friend to those around her, with former teammate and goalkeeper Nina Wilson sharing a poignant reflection with the BBC: "When I signed for Sheffield she came and met me in the car park at Bramall Lane. I'd never met her before, but it felt like we were already friends. Maddy was Miss Sheffield United."

Photo Credit: PA MEDIA

Similarly, Matt Beard was widely revered as one of the most inspirational and successful managers in the modern women's game. Across a coaching career spanning three decades, most famously leading Liverpool to back-to-back Women's Super League titles. Those who worked alongside him painted a picture of a man defined by radical kindness. His brother, Mark Beard, reflected, "He made everyone he came across a better person," describing him as "the most amazing, caring man who was loved by anyone who had the pleasure to meet him." Liverpool defender Grace Fisk shared a similar sentiment, noting, "He treated us like family and we treated him like family... His character and warmth was the best part of who he was."

Photo Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

Losses like these leave an undeniable weight across the entire sport. They force a very real, necessary look at the environment we have built within women's football and elite sport as a whole. We’re all aware that over the last decade, the women's game has grown expedientially. It is faster, richer and more professional than ever before. But with that unprecedented growth has come the intense, corporate pressure that runs through elite sports. Working in these environments means carrying high workloads and constant public scrutiny, often with little room to breathe or admit when things are getting too heavy.

This pressure isn't unique to sports, but it's much harder to talk about in an industry where physical injuries are treated with immediate care, while mental health struggles aren’t prioritised. Behind these public tragedies lie painful, compounding realities that both families have courageously brought to light. In legal proceedings, inquest hearings and public statements, loved ones have pointed directly to difficult working environments and concerns regarding workplace culture.

For Maddy Cusack’s family, investigations and inquest testimonies have laid bare the profound isolation and psychological pressure she faced behind closed doors. Her mother, Deborah, powerfully stated at her memorial that Maddy’s vibrant spirit deserved a far more supportive framework. Similarly, Matt Beard’s family have openly challenged the circumstances surrounding his short tenure and exit from management at Burnley. His widow, Debbie, publicly shared that the intense workplace environment and lack of support acted as a devastating catalyst for the decline in his mental health, speaking candidly about the difficulties he faced navigating the industry towards the end of his career.

Photo Credit: The Maddy Cusack Foundation

These aren’t just isolated administrative disputes or unfortunate personality clashes. When families step forward to share these experiences, it highlights a severe blind spot in elite football. Sports is an industry that is geared entirely toward peak physical performance and can inadvertently create environments where individuals feel isolated when facing mental struggles.

Yet, out of this profound grief, a vital shift is finally beginning to take root. Driven by the advocacy of grieving families and player-advocate groups, the conversation around mental health in football is changing for the better. Grassroots movements, supporter-led mental health campaigns, and partnerships with organisations like ‘Mind’ and the Samaritans-backed ‘Together Against Suicide’ initiative are finally dragging the issue out of the shadows. There are urgent, ongoing calls across the game for mandatory mental health provisions, independent HR oversight and more robust safeguarding for managers, coaches and players alike, ensuring that clubs provide proper support networks when staff are struggling.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

If the game is truly going to honour Maddy, Matt and everyone else we have lost, symbolic tributes over a weekend are only the starting point. The industry must continue moving forward by actively dismantling toxic environments, breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and fostering a culture where human well-being always walks hand-in-hand with professional ambition. Only then can we ensure that no more lives are broken down by the very game they love.

Need Support? You Are Not Alone.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, feeling overwhelmed, or in crisis, help is available right now. You can reach the Samaritans by calling 116 123 for free, confidential support available 24/7, or visit samaritans.org.

Mind can be reached at 0300 123 3393 from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 6 pm, or online at mind.org.uk.

For immediate text-based help, you can text SHOUT to 85258 for free, confidential support any time of day or night.

For sports industry professionals, specialized help is also available. Sporting Chance offers confidential clinical and helpline support for athletes, coaches, and staff via sportingchanceclinic.com.

Current and former professional players can access 24/7 mental health and emotional support channels through the PFA Wellbeing Department, while managers, coaches, and club staff can access specialized health, well-being, and confidential counseling services through the League Managers Association (LMA).