Matt Beard ‘bullied’ by Burnley before his death, family tells pre-inquest hearing

A pre-inquest hearing regarding the former Liverpool manager Matt Beard has heard that his family felt he was “bullied” by Burnley before his death.

Beard, who won back-to-back Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014 with Liverpool, was in charge at Burnley from June to August 2025 before resigning just over three weeks before he died aged 47 on 20 September 2025.

The family said his exit from Burnley “was the catalyst for a decline in his mental health” and 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.”

Beard’s stepson Scott Beard told the inquest review he had concerns about the timing of social media posts which were “quite damaging” to the manager.

The senior coroner, John Gittins, said he would invite Burnley to become an interested person in the proceedings, and that he would be making inquiries for further evidence from the League Managers Association (LMA), which Beard was said to have consulted because of concerns about his treatment at Burnley.

A spokesperson for Burnley, who won promotion to the second tier of English women’s football this season, said: “Burnley FC is aware of an ongoing legal process and will not be making any comment at this time.”

Beard, who also managed Chelsea and West Ham, died at the Countess of Chester hospital after a hypoxic brain injury, the hearing at Ruthin County was told.

The BBC also reported from Thursday’s hearing that Beard’s family had asked for a video, recording by Beard shortly before his death, to be heard by the court, with his wife reportedly adding to the hearing: “Matt left that video for a reason. He wanted that to be found and he wanted his voice heard.”

Beard, who was posthumously inducted into the WSL’s Hall of Fame in April, was in charge at Liverpool in a second spell until February 2025.