Wife claims ex-Livepool soccer supervisor was ‘bullied’ by Burnley earlier than loss of life
A pre-inquest review has opened into the death of Matt Beard, the former Liverpool Women’s manager whose wife claims was ‘bullied’ by Burnley FC, which she blamed for a ‘decline in his mental health’
Former Liverpool Women’s manager Matt Beard died(Image: Getty Images)
The wife of the former Liverpool women’s manager has told a pre-inquest review that she believes he was “bullied” by Burnley FC prior to his death. Matt Beard, 47, passed away on 20 September last year after stepping down from his role as head coach of Burnley FC Women in August, a hearing was informed on Thursday.
Mr Beard had previously managed Millwall, Chelsea and West Ham’s women’s teams, and enjoyed success with Liverpool Women, where he clinched consecutive Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014. The father-of-two, who resided in Hawarden, Deeside, North Wales, died at the Countess of Chester Hospital following a hypoxic brain injury caused by suspension by ligature, the hearing was told.
The review at Ruthin County Hall heard that his family had concerns regarding Mr Beard’s tenure at Burnley FC, which he joined after departing Liverpool in February 2025.
The family felt that leaving Burnley “was the catalyst for a decline in his mental health”, the hearing was informed.
His wife Debbie Beard stated: “Matt left Burnley not to go to another job, he left Burnley because he wasn’t happy there. Basically, they didn’t allow him to move on. I feel like they bullied him, to be honest.”
Senior coroner John Gittins said he would invite Burnley FC to become an interested person in the proceedings. He stated that anyone who may, by act or omission, have caused or contributed to a death was entitled to interested person status.
The coroner stated he would be seeking additional evidence from football agent Curtis Dawes and the League Managers Association (LMA), whom Mr Beard was reported to have approached due to worries about his treatment at Burnley.
Mr Beard’s stepson, Scott Beard, expressed to the inquest review his own concerns about the timing of social media posts which were “quite damaging” to the manager.
The inquest has been postponed to a future date.
Mr Beard’s funeral, conducted at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, saw around 600 attendees including ex-Liverpool player Ian Rush, and former England internationals Casey Stoney, Lianne Sanderson and Fara Williams.
A spokesperson for Burnley FC said: “Burnley FC is aware of an ongoing legal process and will not be making any comment at this time.”
The Samaritans can be reached by calling free on 116 123, emailing [email protected], or visiting samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
