Matt Beard’s cause of death has been confirmed. The death of the ex-Liverpool Women’s manager, who was 47 years-old, was announced on September 20.
The news promoted an outpouring of tributes from across world of football. Mr Beard won two Women’s Super League titles with the Reds in 2013 and 2014 in his first spell at the club. He returned in 2021 when they had been relegated to the second tier and later guided them to promotion before departing earlier this year.
Mr Beard was seen as a pioneer in promoting Women’s Football. He also held managerial roles at Millwall, Chelsea, West Ham, Bristol City and Burnley.
At a hearing at Denbighshire coroner’s office today, September 29, senior coroner for North Wales John Griffiths heard paramedics were called to Mr Beard’s home in Deeside, Flintshire, before he was taken to hospital. As the Daily Star reports, the court was told he was found hanged at his home.
Mr Beard was taken to hospital, but he died at 9.15pm on Saturday, September 20. A full inquest will follow at a later date after the hearing in Ruthin, North Wales, was adjourned.
Mr Beard’s devastated son, Harry, posted on social media to share cherished memories of his dad. One post saw him share photos of the pair together, as he wrote: “Love you dad, [19]78-[20]25. Always will miss you.”
Another heartbreaking post featured a photo of him holding his father’s hand, as he wrote: “Suicide is never the answer, reach out. Call 111, or 999. Please don’t take your own life, we all miss you dad.”
In another video of Mr Beard jumping into a pool, he captioned: “Never failed to make me laugh, even when having a bad day, he always used to say, ‘I bet I can make you smile’ and he always did.”
In a statement, Liverpool said: “The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Matt’s family and friends at this devastating time.
There was a minute’s silence before kick-off in all WSL and WSL2 games on Sunday September 21 while Liverpool’s match against Aston Villa was postponed. A minute’s silence was also held before Liverpool men faced Southampton in the Carabao Cup last week.
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