Why WSL matches should have been postponed after the passing of Matt Beard | OneFootball

Matt Beard after being named manager of Burnley Women. Credit: Burnley YouTube

The tragic and shocking passing of Matt Beard has had a huge impact across women’s football – on those who worked with him, those who played against him, those who watched his teams, and those who didn’t know him but felt like they did thanks to his personality and his longevity in the game.

The news broke on a Saturday evening, and on the Sunday, a full programme of games went on across England, save for postponements at his two most recent clubs, Burnley and Liverpool.

Minute’s silences were impeccably observed, and black armbands were donned, but it was evident that players, coaches, media and fans alike were hugely distressed, and it was not a huge leap of the imagination to wonder in retrospect if the entire programme ought to have been called off completely.

WSL Football, the organisation that runs the leagues, told SheKicks.net that postponements in such circumstances are led by the clubs, not the league; any requests from clubs to postpone games are put to the league who will make a decision via an emergency committee meeting.

Lucy Burdin, a sports psychologist who has worked in the elite women’s game, says the news of Beard’s passing would have had a huge impact throughout the game – and suggests that postponing fixtures across the board would have been an option worth considering.

“I’d say that due to the massive impact Matt has had in the game and how many players have worked with him, I believe from a psychological perspective [it would have been a good idea] to postpone fixtures,” she told SheKicks.net. “Any loss has a huge impact on humans alone, so as athletes to play through the natural grieving process, it can cause more harm.”

“Players need to feel what they feel safely”

With the inquest into Matt Beard’s passing now open – and some outlets contravening guidelines on how to report on these sorts of incidents, with the BBC issuing an apology on Wednesday for its coverage – people within the game may find themselves affected either again or for the first time as the loss is reiterated. If a player finds herself distressed, Burdin suggests sensitivity.

“I think it is so important to send the player home, ensure they are safe at home and then do a check-in later in the day and ensure they have the space to process,” she says. “Then I’d monitor and ensure the player is in charge and reassured, and slowly bring them back when they’re ready, with regular check-ins. For me, the most important aspect is the fact they feel supported and are able to feel what they feel safely.”

Managers also have support on offer to them. The League Managers Association explained to SheKicks.net the resources that their members can access whenever required.

“Immediately following the news of Matt’s passing, we were in close contact with all our members in the women’s game individually, ensuring immediate, bespoke support was offered and made available to them as required,” a spokesperson said. “In difficult situations, it is important that our members know we are there for them.

“The support offered to our members in response to Matt’s tragic passing is delivered by our LMA Wellness team as part of our ongoing commitment to the health and wellbeing of our members and includes one-to-one confidential access to our team of psychologists and psychiatrists. Our team is highly trained across a range of psychological disciplines, include bereavement, and all our members know they can access support 24-7.

“The LMA team works across the whole spectrum of the mental health continuum, including helping individuals build mental health awareness and mental health literacy, develop coping strategies, and work towards building mentally healthy environments for their players and staff. Furthermore, we extend our provision to working with the managers’ immediate family and dependants, understanding the crucial role they play in supporting our members throughout their careers.”

Rehanne Skinner: We shouldn’t be putting people in that position

The resources on offer, though, should not detract from the wider discussion of whether the matches should have been played in the immediate aftermath of the news of the death of Matt Beard.

Rehanne Skinner, the West Ham United manager, was unequivocal in her words to Girls on the Ball prior to last weekend’s matches, when she said: “For me, I don’t know why any of the games were on at the weekend because the amount of people, players, coaching staff across the game that have obviously known Matt. I think the expectation on what people had to do at the weekend was not assessed properly at all.

“We’re two years down the line from another massive tragedy, a player that we lost in Maddy Cusack. And I think the contingency plans around these things need to be looked into in much more detail. When you see some of the players and some of the staff that have had to go through the weekend… we shouldn’t be putting people in that position.

“If we’re going to talk about wellbeing of players and coaches you can’t pay lip service to it. It has to happen in a much, much better space, and to be proactive with it, not reactive. I appreciate lists of numbers of people we can contact, we know that already. Those things that come out in those moments, we already have those in place. It’s the ‘what are we actually doing to be able to make sure that these types of things never happen again?'”

Commitment and action are valuable

Skinner’s impassioned words highlighted two truths that had previously been carefully ignored, or at least not properly considered.

First, some fans did complain on social media that matches shouldn’t be called off in such circumstances, and that it wouldn’t happen in the men’s game. But the women’s game is much, much smaller than the men’s game. With a generally less tribal atmosphere, coaches, players, fans, officials and the media know each other; it’s not so much six degrees of separation between anyone, it’s usually only two or three. Very few people in the women’s game – however they are involved – would not have encountered Matt Beard in some way, and been shocked and saddened by his untimely passing.

Second, matches might not be called off in the men’s game in such circumstances, but as Skinner suggested, perhaps they should be. Clubs and governing bodies alike have been part of campaigns to promote better mental health; this was a great opportunity to live out those principles.

As Skinner said, “lip service” is useless, but commitment and action are valuable. The passing of Matt Beard came after Maddy Cusack and Zoe Tynan, two other absences that are still felt in the women’s game. The game should not just be thinking about how to support those left behind and bereaved, but how to help those struggling before it gets to a critical point.

Until then, it runs the risk of any mention of mental health being considered merely an empty gesture.

Football may continue to nod wisely about the importance of mental health, but there needs to be a big change in the way it operates if the wellbeing of players, staff and fans is truly paramount.