At the time of her death, Maddy Cusack was the longest-serving player in Sheffield United women’s squad. 

The midfielder, who captured the hearts of so many, had dedicated her life to football, after first kicking a ball around her garden as a little kid.

‘‘Maddy started playing football  from the moment she was able,’’ recalls her sister, Olivia, 24. “We used to play out in the back garden all the time. Our first house had a little field, so me, Maddy, and my dad used to go and play there.”

Deborah Cusack, Maddy’s mother, says, ‘‘When she was seven, that’s when she started playing football at the West Hallam Highlands Junior Football Club with the Ilkeston Town Ladies. Over the next few years, Maddy played with the Heanor Lions and West Hallam Juniors football clubs until she was 12.

Three years later she signed with Aston Villa in 2014, where she played semi-professionally. ‘‘It was her first big thing and she was really excited to join Villa. It was a leg up,’’ says Olivia, Social Media Manager at Derby Runner. “She was only about 15 to 16 at the time but she made a lot of friends. Dad used to drive her to practise twice a week, and  she would play a game every Sunday.” It was while she was with the Villans that Maddy got called up to play for the England’s under-19s team.

Then, in 2017, while still living at home and studying at the University of Derby, she moved to Birmingham City. Olivia says: “Maddy didn’t get to play much while she was there, but she got the chance to experience a professional environment for a year. Maddy loved playing but she also enjoyed the time she spent sitting on the bench and watching what would be expected of her. At the same time, Maddy was studying for a Marketing, PR and Advertising degree, and worked a part-time job, alongside maintaining her health and fitness. Olivia says: ‘‘I don’t know how she fit everything into her day, but she did.’’

Maddy moved to Leicester City in 2018, where she only stayed for a few months, before transferring to Sheffield United the following year. And it was here where Maddy made her name, a home and a life. She lived in a flat with her best friend and began working at the Sheffield United Community Foundation, participated in media work, including appearances on SUFC TV.

‘‘She instantly fell in love with the city,” says Olivia. “She quickly became the poster girl. They called her Miss Sheffield United. When a huge poster of herself on the side of Bramall Lane, Maddy knew she had made it. There was one instance when Maddy rang us. She had parked underneath the poster and she couldn’t believe she was on the side of the stadium. We all quickly went down and had a picture under it.

“It was at this point, Maddy really settled. She trained well, ate well and was always on time. She was dedicated to football, but also to her family.”

Last season, Maddy was the first player to make 100 appearances for Sheffield United Women. She received a shirt with the number eight and photos with her teammates.

Olivia says, ‘‘Part of the reason the team had so much success was because they all enjoyed playing with each other. Maddy would always tell us about girls she would meet through football. And as a person, Maddy knew what she wanted to be, knew what she wanted to achieve, and also knew that she needed to be in a  female environment.’’

Maddy Cusack passed away at the age of 27 on 20 September 2023. Her life was celebrated in a  memorial at Bramall Lane.