Maddy Cusack

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Maddy Cusack

| image = Maddy Cusack Lewes FC Women 0 Sheff Utd Women 2 03 04 2022-198 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Cusack in 2022

| birth_name = Madeleine Cusack

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1995|10|28|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nottingham, England{{cite web|url=https://www.playmakerstats.com/player/maddy-cusack/518098 |title=Maddy Cusack |publisher=playmakerstats.com }}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|09|20|1995|10|28|df=y}}

| death_place = Horsley, Derbyshire, England{{cite news | title=Cusack death not suspicious, say police | website=BBC Sport | date=25 September 2023 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66912191 | access-date=25 September 2023}}

| position = Midfielder{{cite web|url=https://www.sufc.co.uk/|title=Maddy Cusack|website=Sheffield United FC}}

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2012

| youthclubs1 = Nottingham Forest

| youthyears2 = 2012–2014

| youthclubs2 = Aston Villa

| years1 = 2014–2017

| clubs1 = Aston Villa

| caps1 = 0

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2017–2018

| clubs2 = Birmingham City

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2018–2019

| clubs3 = Leicester City

| caps3 = 7

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2019–2023

| clubs4 = Sheffield United

| caps4 = 86

| goals4 = 3

| nationalyears1 = 2013–2014

| nationalteam1 = England U19

}}

Madeleine Cusack (28 October 1995 – 20 September 2023) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder.{{cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/12966565/maddy-cusack-sheffield-united-women-midfielder-dies-aged-27|title=Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United Women midfielder dies aged 27|website=Sky Sports|date=22 September 2023|accessdate=22 September 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4886327/2023/09/21/maddy-cusack-sheffield-united/|title=Sheffield United Women player Maddy Cusack dies aged 27|website=The Athletic|access-date=22 September 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-66883422|title=Tributes paid to Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack|work=BBC News|date=21 September 2023|accessdate=22 September 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66882379|title=Sheff Utd 'devastated' by death of Cusack at 27|work=BBC Sport|accessdate=22 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sufc.co.uk/news/2023/september/21/rip-maddy-cusack/|title=RIP Maddy Cusack|date=21 September 2023|website=Sheffield United FC|accessdate=22 September 2023}} Born in Nottingham, England, she began her career with local club Nottingham Forest before moving to Aston Villa, where she made her professional debut. She joined Birmingham City in 2017 and spent a year there before moving to Leicester City in 2018. She moved to Sheffield United in January 2019. She played for England U19s at international level.{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/women-s-soccer-star-dead-at-27/ar-AA1h4E0Z?cvid=a8fea3dd4a1e4d82b5cbbaa741bc1d09&ei=30|title=Women's Soccer Star Dead At 27|first=Troy |last=Smith|date=22 September 2023|website=MSN|accessdate=22 September 2023}} Cusack died by suicide in September 2023. In January 2024, the Football Association opened a formal investigation into her death after reports of wrongdoing by her club manager.

Education and club career

Cusack attended the University of Derby where she achieved a first-class honours degree in marketing, public relations, and advertising.{{cite web|url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/maddy-cusack-a7a6a5118 |title=Maddy Cusack |publisher=LinkedIn }} She started playing football at the age of five{{cite news |author1=Daniel Taylor |title=Special report: Maddy Cusack – why her family want a new investigation into her death |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5137007/2024/01/08/maddy-cusack-investigation-special-report/ |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=The Athletic |date=8 January 2024}} and started her career at Nottingham Forest academy, before transferring to Aston Villa in 2012, she made her senior debut there in the FA Women's League Cup in 2014.

In 2017, she joined Birmingham City, then played for Leicester City a year later. She moved to Sheffield United in January 2019, under head coach Carla Ward.{{Cite web |last=Westby |first=Nick |date=4 September 2020 |title=Maddy Cusack confident Neil Redfearn can take Sheffield United Women in FA Women's Superleague |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/maddy-cusack-confident-neil-redfearn-can-take-sheffield-united-women-in-fa-womens-superleague-2960655 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927145704/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/maddy-cusack-confident-neil-redfearn-can-take-sheffield-united-women-in-fa-womens-superleague-2960655 |archive-date=27 September 2023 |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=The Yorkshire Post}}{{Cite web |last=Frith |first=Wilf |date=3 January 2019 |title=Sheffield United Women move for midfielder Maddy Cusack |url=https://shekicks.net/sheffield-united-women-move-for-midfielder-maddy-cusack/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927153543/https://shekicks.net/sheffield-united-women-move-for-midfielder-maddy-cusack/ |archive-date=27 September 2023 |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=She Kicks }} Eighteen months later, she renewed her contract with the club, and subsequently became the first player to reach 100 appearances for Sheffield United.{{cite web |url=https://news.sky.com/story/maddy-cusack-sheffield-united-devastated-by-death-of-long-serving-27-year-old-player-12966875 |title=Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United 'devastated' by death of long-serving 27-year-old player |publisher=Sky News |date=22 September 2023 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.eurosport.com/football/maddy-cusack-sheffield-united-women-midfielder-dies-aged-27_sto9806644/story.shtml |title=Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United Women midfielder dies aged 27 |publisher=Eurosport |date=22 September 2023 }} In 2021, the club's manager, Neil Redfearn, described Cusack as "a great trainer, a real asset of the club and... someone who wants to get better and wants to drive on".{{cite news |last1=Holt |first1=Chris |title=Maddy Cusack agrees new deal with Sheffield United Women |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/maddy-cusack-agrees-new-deal-with-sheffield-united-women-3260292 |access-date=26 September 2023 |work=The Star |date=3 June 2021}}

Cusack went on to become a marketing executive at Sheffield United alongside her career as a footballer.{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Steve |title=Maddy Cusack: Long-serving Sheffield United midfielder commits to club for another season |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/maddy-cusack-long-serving-sheffield-united-midfielder-commits-to-club-for-another-season-3710823 |access-date=26 September 2023 |work=The Star |date=26 May 2022}} She signed a new one-year contract with the club in July 2023.{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/22/sport/maddy-cusack-death-sheffield-united-spt-intl/index.html |title=Sheffield United Women 'devastated' by death of 27-year-old player Maddy Cusack |publisher=CNN |date=22 September 2023 }} A month later, she was named vice-captain of the club.{{cite web |url=https://talksport.com/football/1575310/maddy-cusack-tributes-sheffield-united-women-inspirational/ |title=Sheffield United Women players express shock at death of 'inspirational' vice-captain Maddy Cusack |publisher=talkSPORT |date=22 September 2023 }}

International career

Cusack was called up for England U19 during the 2013 UEFA Championship qualifying round,{{cite web |url=https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2013/03/22/cusack-stringer-mccue-and-mannion-called-up-by-england |title=Cusack, Stringer, McCue and Mannion called up by England |publisher=Aston Villa FC |date=22 March 2013 }} but she was not named in the squad for the final tournament.

A year later, she was selected for the 2014 Championship,{{cite web |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2014/jul/01/uefa-european-finals-squad-brent-hills-kirstie-levell-jemma-purfield |title=England squad named for UEFA Women's U19 Finals |publisher=The FA |date=1 July 2014 }} where she played in all group stage matches.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/madeleine-cusack/ |title=Madeleine Cusack |date=4 November 2023 |publisher=worldfootball.net }}

Death

Cusack died on 20 September 2023, at the age of 27 by suicide. At the time of her death she was the longest-serving player in the Sheffield United women's squad. On 24 September, a minute's silence was held for Cusack before Sheffield United's Premier League game against Newcastle United. Cusack was also shown on the front cover of the matchday programme. Wreaths were laid outside Bramall Lane by supporters and Newcastle co-owner, Amanda Staveley, and on the pitch by Cusack's family, club captain Sophie Brown and former player Tony Currie. The crowd also applauded in the 8th minute, representing Cusack's squad number.{{cite web | title=Sheff Utd pay emotional tribute to Cusack before match | website=BBC Sport | date=24 September 2023 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66905606 | access-date=25 September 2023}} A further minute's silence was held at the City Ground on 1 October before the Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Brentford as Cusack had started her career there in the youth team of Nottingham Forest Women.{{cite web | title=Premier League: Ten-man Nottingham Forest hold Brentford - reaction | website=BBC Sport | date=1 October 2023 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/66509777/page/6 | access-date=2 October 2023}}

Within a week of her death, her family wrote to her club where they outlined a range of issues they stated she had been facing due to a poor relationship with the club's manager, Jonathan Morgan.{{cite news |title=FA to review the death of Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/08/fa-assessing-relevant-information-surrounding-the-death-of-maddy-cusack |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=8 January 2024}} On 28 November, Sheffield United agreed to an external inquiry into events that led to Cusack's death, with her family claiming her spirit had been "broken" from February 2023 and in the months leading up to her death, despite no previous long-standing mental health issues.{{Cite news |title=Sheff Utd agree to Cusack death inquiry, says family |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67550307 |access-date=28 November 2023 }} On 19 December, it was reported that the inquiry, led by retired detective superintendent Dennis Shotton, found no evidence of wrongdoing at Sheffield United.{{cite news |title=Maddy Cusack: Independent investigation finds 'no evidence of wrongdoing' into player's death |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13033530/maddy-cusack-independent-investigation-finds-no-evidence-of-wrongdoing-into-players-death |access-date=19 December 2023 |work=Sky News |date=19 December 2023}} In January 2024, it was reported that the Football Association had begun gathering evidence ahead of a possible investigation of its own. On 25 January, the FA opened a formal investigation into her death.{{cite news |title=FA opens formal investigation into death of Maddy Cusack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/25/fa-open-formal-investigation-into-death-of-sheffield-united-player-maddy-cusack |access-date=28 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=25 January 2024}}{{cite news |title=Maddy Cusack: FA launches investigation into death of Sheffield United midfielder |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68092601 |access-date=28 January 2024 |work=BBC |date=25 January 2024}}