An inquest into the death of Matt Beard has heard the initial evidence about the tragic circumstances leading to his family agreeing to turn off his life-support machine in hospital. Beard, who won the Women’s Super League twice with Liverpool, died on September 20, aged 47, after being admitted to the Countess of Chester hospital. His son, Harry, later posted messages on social media to pay tribute to his father and encourage people to talk about mental-health issues. Suicide, he wrote, is “nev
Beard, who won the Women’s Super League twice with Liverpool, died on September 20, aged 47, after being admitted to the Countess of Chester hospital.
His son, Harry, later posted messages on social media to pay tribute to his father and encourage people to talk about mental-health issues. Suicide, he wrote, is “never the answer.”
A brief hearing at Denbighshire coroner’s office on Monday was told that Beard had suffered a “devastating brain injury” that had been caused by a hanging.
John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales (East and Central), said Beard had also suffered an “out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.” A full inquest will be held at a future date to establish the exact circumstances surrounding Beard’s death.
Beard had managed six women’s teams, including Millwall, Chelsea, West Ham United, Bristol City, as well as a spell in the U.S. with the National Women’s Soccer League side Boston Breakers.
His last club was Burnley before resigning in August, only two months after his appointment, and being placed on gardening leave amid reports that he was being lined up to manage Leicester City’s women’s team. He and his wife, Debbie, lived in Flintshire, Wales.
A commemorative service will be held at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral on October 17 to celebrate Beard’s life. The family have asked for “any gestures of remembrance be made through donations to a mental health charity.”
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Liverpool, Women's Soccer
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