Liverpool have postponed their Girls's Tremendous League fixture towards Aston Villa following the dying of their former supervisor Matt Beard on Saturday. Beard, who had two spells in command of Liverpool, left the membership in February.
Beard received back-to-back WSL titles with the Reds in 2013 and 2014 throughout his first spell and rejoined the membership in 2021 following stints with Boston Breakers within the US, West Ham and Bristol Metropolis. He guided Liverpool to promotion again to the WSL in his first season again on the helm and remained in cost till February.
The membership introduced the dying of the 47-year-old late on Saturday in an announcement and confirmed on Sunday morning that their match towards Aston Villa wouldn't go forward.
Liverpool posted on X: “Liverpool's Barclays Girls's Tremendous League fixture towards Aston Villa right now has been postponed. Following the sudden and tragic information of the passing of former LFC Girls supervisor Matt Beard, the match at Villa Park – scheduled for 12pm BST – won't happen. Particulars of a rearrangement will probably be confirmed sooner or later.”
After leaving Liverpool, Beard was introduced as Burnley boss in June however resigned in August after a brief spell in cost. The Clarets earlier confirmed their match towards West Brom, which was scheduled for Sunday, had been postponed following the information of Beard's dying.
Richard Bevan, the League Managers Affiliation chief government, paid tribute to Beard: “Matt was a real champion of ladies's soccer and devoted his early profession to advancing the sport on its path to professionalisation. He performed an integral function within the growth of gamers, coaches, and the broader sport as probably the most lively managers in ladies's soccer over the previous 15 years, reaching success at a number of the greatest golf equipment within the sport.”
Beard managed Chelsea, the present six-time defending WSL champions, between 2009 and 2012 and the membership mentioned he laid “a lot of the foundations previous to Emma Hayes' arrival.”
Chelsea mentioned in an announcement: “Gamers and employees alike converse of a person who wasn't simply your supervisor, he was your buddy. He was a caring and loving one who all the time made time for folks. Matt was integral to the expansion of the ladies's sport on this nation and is a person who will probably be sadly missed by everybody within the footballing neighborhood.”
Hayes, who took over from Beard in 2012, mentioned in an announcement to LMA: “He was all the time smiling. Matt will go away an enormous void within the ladies's sport. He was one in every of a form, and his loss will probably be felt by all. My coronary heart goes out to his household, however I wish to take the time to acknowledge what a particular man he actually was.”
Manchester United described Beard as a “large” of the ladies's sport, posting: “Matt was a fierce opponent of ours; a large of ladies's soccer.”
The WSL introduced {that a} minute's silence will probably be held throughout all different video games going down within the league and WSL2 on Sunday. Chelsea's assembly with Leicester, Brighton's match with West Ham and Arsenal's journey to Manchester United are all set to go forward.
The WSL mentioned in an announcement: “Golf equipment throughout the Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL2 will participate in a minute's silence forward of kick-off at video games right now in reminiscence of Matt Beard following his passing.”
