Olivia Cusack says her sister, the late Maddy Cusack, is on her mind every single day and she is determined to ensure her “legacy lives on” three years after the former England youth international midfielder’s death. Olivia, together with family and friends of Maddy, walked 29 miles from Bramall Lane, Sheffield United’s home, to their family’s home in Horsley, near Derby, on Saturday to raise funds and awareness. Maddy’s loved ones are still enduring a “frustrating and confusing” wait for answers about the circumstances surrounding her death on 20 September 2023.
An inquest into the death of the 27-year-old Sheffield United player was adjourned again in July and has been scheduled to resume on 7 December, after fresh evidence came to light. Cusack, a former England Under-19s international, was the first player to appear in 100 matches for Sheffield United’s women’s team. Olivia says Saturday’s walk, “Bringing Maddy Home”, was motivated by some of the evidence the inquest heard.
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.” A minute’s applause will be held before kick-off at Sunday’s Women’s Super League 2 fixture between Newcastle and Sheffield United. Discussing that anniversary, Olivia says: “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 that goes by where we don’t think about her.
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. 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 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.
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