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Maddy Cusack

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Maddy Cusack
Cusack in 2022
Personal information
Birth name Madeleine Cusack
Date of birth (1995-10-28)28 October 1995
Place of birth Nottingham, England[1]
Date of death 20 September 2023(2023-09-20) (aged 27)
Place of death Horsley, Derbyshire, England[2]
Position(s) Midfielder[3]
Youth career
–2012 Nottingham Forest
2012–2014 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Aston Villa 0 (0)
2017–2018 Birmingham City 0 (0)
2018–2019 Leicester City 7 (0)
2019–2023 Sheffield United 86 (3)
International career
2013–2014 England U19
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Madeleine Cusack (28 October 1995 – 20 September 2023) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder.[4][5][6][7][8] 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.[9] 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

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Cusack attended the University of Derby where she achieved a first-class honours degree in marketing, public relations, and advertising.[10] She started playing football at the age of five[11] 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.[12][13][14] Eighteen months later, she renewed her contract with the club,[13] and subsequently became the first player to reach 100 appearances for Sheffield United.[12][15] 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".[16]

Cusack went on to become a marketing executive at Sheffield United alongside her career as a footballer.[7][17] She signed a new one-year contract with the club in July 2023.[18] A month later, she was named vice-captain of the club.[19]

International career

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Cusack was called up for England U19 during the 2013 UEFA Championship qualifying round,[20] but she was not named in the squad for the final tournament.

A year later, she was selected for the 2014 Championship,[21] where she played in all group stage matches.[22]

Death

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Cusack died on 20 September 2023, at the age of 27[4] by suicide.[11] At the time of her death she was the longest-serving player in the Sheffield United women's squad.[9] 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.[23] 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.[24]

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.[25] 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.[26] On 19 December, it was reported that the inquiry, led by retired detective superintendent Dennis Shotton, found no evidence of wrongdoing at Sheffield United.[27] In January 2024, it was reported that the Football Association had begun gathering evidence ahead of a possible investigation of its own.[11] On 25 January, the FA opened a formal investigation into her death.[28][29]

References

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  1. ^ "Maddy Cusack". playmakerstats.com.
  2. ^ "Cusack death not suspicious, say police". BBC Sport. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Maddy Cusack". Sheffield United FC.
  4. ^ a b "Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United Women midfielder dies aged 27". Sky Sports. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Sheffield United Women player Maddy Cusack dies aged 27". The Athletic. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Tributes paid to Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack". BBC News. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Sheff Utd 'devastated' by death of Cusack at 27". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  8. ^ "RIP Maddy Cusack". Sheffield United FC. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b Smith, Troy (22 September 2023). "Women's Soccer Star Dead At 27". MSN. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Maddy Cusack". LinkedIn.
  11. ^ a b c Daniel Taylor (8 January 2024). "Special report: Maddy Cusack – why her family want a new investigation into her death". The Athletic. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United 'devastated' by death of long-serving 27-year-old player". Sky News. 22 September 2023.
  13. ^ a b Westby, Nick (4 September 2020). "Maddy Cusack confident Neil Redfearn can take Sheffield United Women in FA Women's Superleague". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  14. ^ Frith, Wilf (3 January 2019). "Sheffield United Women move for midfielder Maddy Cusack". She Kicks. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Maddy Cusack: Sheffield United Women midfielder dies aged 27". Eurosport. 22 September 2023.
  16. ^ Holt, Chris (3 June 2021). "Maddy Cusack agrees new deal with Sheffield United Women". The Star. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  17. ^ Jones, Steve (26 May 2022). "Maddy Cusack: Long-serving Sheffield United midfielder commits to club for another season". The Star. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Sheffield United Women 'devastated' by death of 27-year-old player Maddy Cusack". CNN. 22 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Sheffield United Women players express shock at death of 'inspirational' vice-captain Maddy Cusack". talkSPORT. 22 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Cusack, Stringer, McCue and Mannion called up by England". Aston Villa FC. 22 March 2013.
  21. ^ "England squad named for UEFA Women's U19 Finals". The FA. 1 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Madeleine Cusack". worldfootball.net. 4 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Sheff Utd pay emotional tribute to Cusack before match". BBC Sport. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Premier League: Ten-man Nottingham Forest hold Brentford - reaction". BBC Sport. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  25. ^ "FA to review the death of Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack". The Guardian. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Sheff Utd agree to Cusack death inquiry, says family". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  27. ^ "Maddy Cusack: Independent investigation finds 'no evidence of wrongdoing' into player's death". Sky News. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  28. ^ "FA opens formal investigation into death of Maddy Cusack". The Guardian. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Maddy Cusack: FA launches investigation into death of Sheffield United midfielder". BBC. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
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