Changing the game: A conversation with The Maddy Cusack Foundation

It’s easy for outsiders looking into the lives of professional athletes to only see their success, money, and fame; however, beneath this surface lies an intense scrutiny that accompanies their careers.

Whether in person or online, from coaches, teammates or fans, aspects of athletes’ sporting and personal lives are constantly being judged. This criticism, which is often thrown at them in an endless and overwhelming manner, impacts their lives, and mental health.

In September 2023, Maddy Cusack, a footballer at Sheffield United, died by suicide. Her passing shocked the women’s football community, and the wider sporting world.

The Boar Sport spoke to Olivia Cusack, Maddy Cusack’s sister, about player mental health and The Maddy Cusack Foundation, an organisation that Olivia runs in memory of her sister.

In under a year, the foundation has already raised over £35,000, some of which has been used to support young footballers with the costs of kit, equipment, and travel.

However, clubs can ensure that their players are supported on and off the pitch

Maddy Cusack worked at the Sheffield United Community Foundation where she helped young players who “were struggling to get a team”. At Christmas, a few girls who gave examples of their relationships with Cusack were hand-selected and The Maddy Cusack Foundation “surprised them all with a pair of boots”. Olivia Cusack fondly recalled how her sister received a brand-new pair of boots and football every Christmas “even at 27”. Giving boots to these young players was a way of “sharing Maddy with them”.

However, the work of the foundation goes beyond helping with the finances of football. Whether it intended to or not, the foundation has initiated discussion about what needs to change within women’s football to protect the mental health of its players.

Olivia Cusack described how all her sister “wanted to do was play football” saying: “As soon as she realised you could play as a woman and make money from it, that was her goal”.

Nonetheless, during her career Maddy Cusack had to juggle multiple jobs to earn a sufficient salary as clubs are “not paying enough for these girls to be able to just play football”. This leads to pressure beyond the pitch as the players must make “ends meet elsewhere”.

Cusack worked as a marketing executive for Sheffield United whilst playing in their first team; many female footballers in lower leagues work full-time jobs and then attend training sessions in the evenings, with games also taking up their weekends.

The demand for women’s football, although vastly growing, is still incomparable to the men’s sport, meaning lower league women’s clubs do not have the funds to pay players a sufficient salary. However, they can ensure that their players are supported on and off the pitch.

“What happened with my sister has had a knock-on effect”

Olivia Cusack

Olivia Cusack emphasised how the competitive nature of football means that it is even more vital that players “have that safe space to speak out”. Powerfully, and poignantly, she spoke on how it only takes one person to talk about their feelings for others to come forward; she said: “What happened with my sister has had a knock-on effect,” and that as a result, more people are speaking up.

A recent mental health survey conducted on UK university students found that the number of students suffering from mental health problems has significantly increased to 42% of the student population.

Speaking on student mental health, particularly the well-being of student athletes, Olivia Cusack said: “It’s really important to find those people that you can confide in, even if it’s not friends or family.” She highlighted that not everything you see online is perfect: “You’d be surprised by how many people felt the same way as you did or have had similar experiences that you can draw on.”

To raise money and awareness for The Maddy Cusack Foundation, a charity match is being played on 22 June. Many “great players” that Maddy Cusack met during her footballing career will be coming together to remember her in a tournament and match.

“I want her to connect with these girls even though she’s no longer here. I want to keep her legacy alive and keep the essence of her running through it”

Olivia Cusack

Listening to the way that Olivia Cusack describes her sister emphasises that she was not only an incredible athlete, but also an amazing person. Olivia initially felt there was “an immense amount of pressure” attached to the foundation because she did not want to create anything that Maddy would not be proud of.

She summarised the true goals of the organisation in two simple sentences: “I want her to connect with these girls even though she’s no longer here. I want to keep her legacy alive and keep the essence of her running through it.”

The Maddy Cusack Foundation is making vital changes to progress the women’s game and, perhaps most importantly, raising awareness for the effects that playing professional sport can have on one’s mental health.

Tickets for the charity match being played in Birmingham on 22 June can be purchased here.