The wife of a former Liverpool women’s manager felt he was ‘bullied’ by Burnley FC before he was found hanged in his home, she has told a pre-inquest review.
Matt Beard, 47, died on September 20 last year after resigning from his job as head coach of Burnley FC Women the previous month.
Mr Beard previously managed Millwall, Chelsea and West Ham’s women’s teams, and saw success with Liverpool, where he won back-to-back Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014.
The father-of-two, who lived in Hawarden, North Wales, died at the Countess of Chester Hospital after suffering a brain injury as a result of hanging, the hearing was told.
The review at Ruthin County Hall heard Mr Beard’s family had concerns in relation to his time working at Burnley FC, which he joined after leaving Liverpool in February 2025.
The family felt leaving Burnley ‘was the catalyst for a decline in his mental health’, the hearing was told.
His wife Debbie Beard said: ‘Matt left Burnley not to go to another job, he left Burnley because he wasn’t happy there. Basically, they didn’t allow him to move on. I feel like they bullied him, to be honest.’
Senior coroner John Gittins said he would invite Burnley FC to become an interested person in the proceedings.
Former Liverpool Women’s manager Matt Beard died at the age of 47 in September last year
Mr Beard with his with Debbie, who told a pre-inquest hearing he had been ‘bullied’ by Burnley FC
Burnley supporters holding a banner in memory of Matt during a match last month
He said anyone who may, by act or omission, have caused or contributed to a death was entitled to interested person status.
The coroner said he would be making enquiries for further evidence from football agent Curtis Dawes and the League Managers Association (LMA), who Mr Beard was said to have consulted because of concerns about his treatment at Burnley.
Mr Beard’s stepson Scott Beard told the inquest review he also had concerns about the timing of social media posts that were said to be ‘quite damaging’ to the manager.
The inquest was adjourned to a later date.
Mr Beard’s funeral, held at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, was attended by around 600 people including former Liverpool player Ian Rush, and former England internationals Casey Stoney, Lianne Sanderson and Fara Williams.
Plenty of club officials were in attendance, those who had the utmost respect for his achievements; Michael Edwards, Julian Ward and Ian Rush were among a delegation from Liverpool.
Finally there were the fans, to whom he had brought so many good times.
Many were dressed in club colours or had red-and-white scarves draped over their shoulders.
A spokesman for Burnley FC said: ‘Burnley FC is aware of an ongoing legal process and will not be making any comment at this time.’
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