'Bringing Maddy Home': family walk 29 miles to honour footballer on third anniversary as inquest waits on fresh evidence
Three years after the death of former England youth international Maddy Cusack, her sister Olivia says the late Sheffield United midfielder is on her mind every single day — and she is determined to ensure her "legacy lives on".
On Saturday, Olivia, together with family and friends, walked 29 miles from Bramall Lane, Sheffield United's home, to the family home in Horsley, near Derby, in a fundraising walk named "Bringing Maddy Home". The walk came as Maddy's loved ones continue to endure what Olivia describes as a "frustrating and confusing" wait for answers about the circumstances surrounding her death on 20 September 2023.
Inquest paused until December after fresh documents emerge
An inquest into the death of the 27-year-old, the first player to appear in 100 matches for Sheffield United's women's team and a former England under-19 international, was adjourned again in July and has been scheduled to resume on 7 December after fresh evidence came to light. The family have already sat through eight full days of evidence since the hearing belatedly began on 29 June, but the discovery of additional documents led proceedings to be paused while her former club searches for documents linked to her medical records.
The coroner apologised to the family for yet another delay. The case had previously been set to start being heard on 5 January 2026 after additional postponements in 2025.
"It's been really difficult," Olivia told the Guardian. "It's not something that any of us anticipated to happen. It's very confusing and it can be very frustrating, the length of time it's taken, it can be difficult to work that out and to know how you should be feeling and the process of it. However, we know that for the right outcome it has to be taken seriously. They need the time to come together and really get an outcome."
She added: "It feels as though she can't be at peace until it's finished. And I do feel that's quite upsetting to think about and to work through. It needs to come to a conclusion."
'She was not an object that we were discussing'
Evidence given to the inquest, including testimony from Maddy's mum, heard how Maddy had struggled with her mental health before her death and had problems with Sheffield United coach Jonathan Morgan. Morgan told the inquest he had "no concerns" about their relationship and that "things have not been portrayed factually or correctly with how she was feeling".
Olivia said the walk was motivated by some of the evidence heard during the inquest, driven by a feeling that the person behind the player had been overlooked.
"Many people know Maddy as the professional football player and the name on the back of her shirt, the number, the colours she wore, the club she was associated with. But I felt in the inquest it was lost that she was a person, she wasn't an object that we were discussing. She's a person, she's a family member of ours [and] a person that's sometimes been lost within the chaos surrounding her death really, so that's the notion behind the walk. To claim her back, bring her home and protect her."
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, she said the inquest painted a "one dimensional" picture of her sister: "It dawned on me that when people were asked questions about Maddy and to share what she was like as a person, they were all very similar answers and quite focused on the football side of her. People don't seem to know her like we did — of course they don't. But I wanted to introduce a different side of Maddy. I wanted them to know more than the number on the back of her shirt or the colours that she wore on the football pitch."
'Maddy was the sunshine of the family'
Olivia and her cousin Emily Reilly often visit Maddy's memorial bench in Scargill Park in West Hallam, Derbyshire, where they all grew up. With both of their birthdays at the end of October, Emily says they'd always planned to spend them together, but "now I just come here". She remembers her cousin with affection: "She used to get us in trouble with my dad when we were younger. It was always her idea then I'd take the blame for it."
Describing the relationship between the sisters, Olivia said Maddy was the person "I looked up to my whole life" — and that the grief has not dulled with time.
"We miss her the same every day, as I will on Sunday. The anniversary is always something that creeps up on us. It's very emotional and it's a time where we just reflect, but we do so much throughout the year so she really is at the heart of pretty much every single day. Not a day goes by where we don't think about her," Olivia said.
"There can be days when you just feel absolutely drained and you know you don't quite know what the right thing to do is, but I think the way that we just get through it is that we remember who she was as a person. She loved her life, she loved trying new things and just enjoying life's simple pleasures, we try and embody that on every day, not just the anniversary."
A minute's applause will be held before kick-off on Sunday at the Women's Super League 2 fixture between Newcastle and Sheffield United.
Foundation keeps Maddy's story alive
The walk raised money for the Maddy Cusack Foundation, which supports causes targeting women's and girls' football and "letting girls be seen within sport". Olivia said the foundation provides Derby County Community Trust with a series of bursaries for girls and families who struggle with the financial prospects of dedicating themselves to football.
The foundation has also partnered with Stockport County left wing-back Ben Osborn's organisation Elite Football Development, which aims to inspire young people through sport and education.
"They work with girls and boys but we sponsor the girls' side of things, which is focused around post-16 study, and allows girls to gain qualifications alongside being able to train and live the life of a professional footballer. We were really keen to get involved in this as Maddy was really passionate about education," Olivia said.
"The foundation keeps me going. It's been a real lifeline to be able to continue her story."
29 miles of mental and physical challenge
The group of about 15 family and friends set off from Sheffield at 5.30am on Saturday, travelling the reverse direction of a fundraising walk in February 2024 from Pride Park to Bramall Lane. A fundraising page for the walk had surpassed £1,100 as of Saturday afternoon — a tally Olivia called "incredible — £1,000 is just amazing, it's more than I ever expected".
"Particularly with it being Maddy's anniversary, it's going to be very much a mental challenge as well as a physical one, so it gives you that extra motivation to make the people who've donated proud," she said.
As the family prepare to return to Chesterfield Coroner's Court in December, Olivia urged the public to keep her sister's memory alive.
"I really do encourage people to, as difficult as it can be sometimes, share the photos, share the memories, bring her up in conversation wherever you can, talk about her, and between all of us, you know her legacy will live on. She will only ever remain a part of this life if we keep saying her name and keep remembering her."
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.