Olivia Cusack leads 29-mile walk from Bramall Lane to Horsley three years after sister Maddy’s death
Olivia Cusack said her sister, the late Maddy Cusack, is on her mind every single day and family and friends walked 29 miles from Bramall Lane to their family home in Horsley on Saturday to raise funds and mark three years since Maddy’s death on 20 September 2023. Olivia said she is determined to ensure her “legacy lives on.”
Maddy Cusack, a 27-year-old Sheffield United player at the time of her death, has been described in coverage as a former England youth international midfielder. Cusack, a former England Under-19s international, was the first player to appear in 100 matches for Sheffield United’s women’s team.
The walk, billed “Bringing Maddy Home,” set off from Sheffield at 5.30am and involved about 15 family members and friends travelling the route in reverse to a February 2024 fundraiser that ran from Pride Park to Bramall Lane. Olivia said the event was motivated by some evidence heard at the inquest: “After the inquest we wanted to bring her home from Bramall Lane, back to our family home.” A fundraising page for the walk had surpassed £1,100 as of Saturday afternoon.
Describing the anniversary and the family’s approach to remembering Maddy, Olivia said: “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. “There can be days when you just feel absolutely drained and you know you don’t quite know what the right thing to do is, but I think the way that we just get through it is that we remember who she was as a person. 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. “I really do encourage people to, as difficult as it can be sometimes, share the photos, share the memories, bring her up in conversation wherever you can, talk about her, and between all of us, you know, her legacy will live on.”
Olivia called the delay surrounding the inquest “really difficult.” The family have already endured eight full days of evidence after the hearing began on 29 June, but the discovery of additional documents led the proceedings to be paused. The coroner apologised to the family for the postponement, and the case had previously been set to start on 5 January 2026 after additional delays in 2025. Olivia said: “It’s been really difficult. It’s not something that any of us anticipated to happen. 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. “It feels as though she can’t be at peace until it’s finished. And I do feel that’s quite upsetting to think about and to work through. It needs to come to a conclusion.”
Proceeds from the walk will go to the Maddy Cusack Foundation, which the family say supports causes targeting women’s and girls’ football and aims to “let girls be seen within sport.” The foundation has provided Derby County Community Trust with bursaries for girls and families who struggle financially, and has partnered with Stockport County defender Ben Osborn’s organisation Elite Football Development to sponsor girls’ programs focused on post-16 study. Olivia explained the partnership: “They work with girls and boys but we sponsor the girls’ side of things, which is focused around post-16 study, and allows girls to gain qualifications alongside being able to train and live the life of a professional footballer. We were really keen to get involved in this as Maddy was really passionate about education.”
A minute’s applause will be held before kick-off at Sunday’s Women’s Super League 2 fixture between Newcastle and Sheffield United, and the inquest into Maddy Cusack’s death has been scheduled to resume on 7 December after fresh evidence came to light.