Maddy Cusack's legacy will be 'a voice for girls'

Maddy Cusack ever loved football.

Her sister Olivia remembers however she'd often enactment her siblings successful for a kickabout, utilizing them for people practice.

It is simply a representation that comes backmost to her arsenic she stands successful the parkland successful Derby wherever Maddy loved to train.

"It's a ineffable spot for america really," says Olivia Cusack. "Because it holds truthful overmuch emotion and a batch of memories."

Maddy went connected to played for Sheffield United Women from 2019 and became the archetypal subordinate to correspond the nine 100 times.

A vigil aboriginal volition people 1 twelvemonth since the time Maddy was recovered dormant astatine her home, aged 27.

Her household said her tone had "been broken" by the athletics she loved.

Maddy's nine was cleared of immoderate wrongdoing by an outer investigation, and a Football Association (FA) enquiry launched successful January is ongoing.

An inquest to found the circumstances astir Maddy's decease has been adjourned until the FA reaches its conclusions.

While her household continues to hold for answers, they are turning their attraction to her legacy.

"It's been a twelvemonth since we mislaid Maddy," says Olivia. "A twelvemonth since our lives wholly got turned upside down.

"I person to spot that she tin spot what we're doing and is proud.

"That's the main motivation."

Maddy's household has antecedently spoken astir her facing fiscal pressures and balancing a full-time selling job successful Sheffield United's offices with her relation successful the squad.

The FA hasn't said precisely what it’s looking into, but wanted to assess whether it needed to instrumentality immoderate action.

"We asked for a thorough investigation," says Olivia.

"That's decidedly what they've done arsenic it's been a portion now.

"I anticipation the FA bash the close thing.

"It's important we don't skim implicit what happened."

Regardless of the outcome, the 25-year-old says there's nary mode things tin enactment the aforesaid successful women's football.

"I'd similar to deliberation that aft what's happened to my sister, there's nary mode determination can't beryllium immoderate change.

"Maddy yet mislaid her beingness and her tone to shot and it's important that cipher other goes done that."

Maddy's household has launched a instauration successful her sanction to enactment women and girls successful shot and hopes to beryllium a dependable for them too.

"You can't hide your caput successful the sand," says Olivia.

"You request to basal up for these girls and basal up for Maddy yet arsenic well.

"We conscionable truly wanted to find what was missing and springiness these girls a voice."

They precocious deed a £50,000 milestone, thing Olivia says she "never adjacent dreamed of".

"It made maine truly proud," she says.

"I thought, we could truly alteration the crippled present and alteration young girls' lives."

Some of the wealth raised goes towards supporting girls similar eight-year-old Neveah, who idolised Maddy.

Neveah's mum, Beth, tells Newsbeat the emotion started erstwhile she was assigned the aforesaid fig shot shirt.

"She'd spot Maddy play and say, 'Mum that's maine - I'm fig eight, I'm going to beryllium similar Maddy'."

Last year, Neveah was a mascot for Sheffield United and chose to locomotion retired with Maddy, which Beth says helped to "grow her emotion of football".

When Maddy died, Beth says Neveah "took it truly hard" and, successful December, the instauration offered to wage for her to person caller boots - thing the household had done for Maddy each Christmas.

Since past it has besides sponsored her kit.

"She was precise touched by that," Beth says.

"We ever get successful interaction with the household due to the fact that she likes to archer them however galore goals she's scored for Maddy."

Although Neveah is sometimes the lone miss connected the pitch, she is mostly supported and encouraged successful the sport, says Beth.

But she knows that mightiness not ever beryllium the case, and that is wherefore the enactment of the instauration is truthful important.

"[Girls] request to cognize that enactment is disposable for them," she says.

"I conscionable anticipation Neveah's travel done football, nevertheless agelong it is, continues to beryllium positive."

Olivia says her sister was "loved and adored and an inspiration to truthful many".

"My main absorption with the instauration is to transportation that connected for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin and to bring her to beingness for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin arsenic well."

There volition beryllium a vigil for Maddy aboriginal and she volition besides beryllium remembered astatine a lucifer betwixt Sheffield United and Derby County - the nine Maddy supported - connected Saturday.

"She would've been determination for sure," Olivia says of her large sister. "With a beaming smile."

A spokesperson for Sheffield United told Newsbeat they were pleased to people the day with the match.

"The thoughts of everyone associated with Sheffield United Football Club stay with the Cusack family, arsenic good arsenic Maddy’s friends, colleagues and team-mates," they added.

The FA said it would not beryllium due to remark portion it was inactive investigating.

If you've been affected by the issues raised successful this article, assistance and enactment is disposable via BBC Action Line.