A pre-inquest hearing into the death of former Liverpool Women's manager Matt Beard has heard his family allege he was bullied by Burnley before his death. Beard, 47, died on 20 September 2025 after a hypoxic brain injury, three weeks after resigning as Burnley manager.
His wife, Debbie Beard, told the hearing at Ruthin County that his exit from Burnley 'was the catalyst for a decline in his mental health'. She 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.'
Beard's stepson Scott Beard also raised concerns about 'quite damaging' social media posts around the time of his departure. Senior coroner John Gittins said he would invite Burnley to become an interested person in the proceedings and seek further evidence from the League Managers Association, which Beard consulted about his treatment.
A Burnley spokesperson declined to comment, stating the club is aware of an ongoing legal process. Beard's family has requested that a video he recorded shortly before his death be played in court, with his wife adding: 'He wanted his voice heard.'
Beard, who managed Chelsea, West Ham, and Liverpool across two spells, was posthumously inducted into the Women's Super League Hall of Fame in April 2025.
