'It's difficult to grieve when you're fighting for justice'

Olivia Cusack has the letter M tattooed on her wrist.

It stands for Maddy, her sister, the Sheffield United footballer who died in September 2023.

"Her life was cut short," says Olivia.

"There's a lot of things we planned together that we didn't get to experience."

Midfielder Maddy Cusack was 27 years old when she was found dead at her home in Derbyshire.

She had played for the Blades since 2019 and became the first player to make 100 appearances for their women's side.

There are still unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding her death - ones relatives had hoped to have answered at an inquest in July.

But the hearing is now expected to take place in January.

For Olivia, the delays are frustrating.

"It's the biggest thing that's ever happened for me personally in my life and you have no control over how that is dealt with," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

Olivia's tattoo is just one of the things she has been able to do to honour her sister's memory.

Her family also set up a foundation in Maddy's name to support women and girls in football.

But Olivia says it has been hard to grieve properly while official investigations have taken so long to conclude.

An external report ordered by Sheffield United shortly after Maddy's death cleared the club of wrongdoing.

But a second report from the Football Association, commissioned in early 2024, won't be published until her inquest concludes.

"It's almost like the pause button was hit in October 2023," Olivia says, referring to the date when the inquest first opened.

"With the loss of Maddy you want to think of her at peace and that she's okay.

"But it's hard to picture her at peace now when there's so much chaos surrounding her death."

There has been no official explanation for Maddy's death, though police said at the time it was not considered suspicious.

Her family has previously said she had no longstanding mental health issues, but faced financial pressures in the months before.

She also balanced her football career with a full-time marketing job at the club's offices.

Maddy's family has complained about "processes and conduct" at Sheffield United, including that of former women's team manager Jonathan Morgan.

At a pre-inquest hearing in June, Mr Morgan said witnesses put forward by the family were "one-sided" and requested permission to invite those with "an opposing view" to testify.

Coroner Sophie Cartwright, who is in charge of the inquest, said she would make a judgement on these issues before the full hearings.

All of that has made it "very difficult for the family to put those emotions to one side and deal with them properly", Olivia says.

"Whilst you're still in fighting mode, looking for that justice, it's difficult to take your foot off the gas for a minute and actually think about what's happened and come to terms with it."

In the meantime, Maddy's family and friends have been looking for ways to pay a lasting tribute to her.

Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Nina Wilson remembers their time together at the club fondly.

"Maddy was Miss Sheff United," she says.

"When I signed for Sheffield she came and met me in the car park at Bramhall Lane.

"I'd never met her before but it felt like we were already friends."

Like Olivia, Nina also got a tattoo to remember Maddy.

Hers is an eight - the same number Maddy wore each time she stepped on to the pitch.

"It was emotional, something I wanted to do pretty much straight away," says Nina.

"Everyone knows how much she loved that shirt."

Nina, who has quit football since Maddy's death, has called on Sheffield United to retire the shirt

"It would mean so much to her for that to always be her number," she says.

Maddy's family backs the campaign, which Nina describes as a way to keep her friend in people's thoughts.

As the inquest gets further away, Nina says: "I do feel that her memory slowly fades away.

"And that's why we fight so hard."

Since Maddy's death, no-one else has worn the number eight shirt for Sheffield United Women - who play in the new WSL 2 league.

The club confirmed its fan advisory board had proposed retiring of Maddy's shirt on two separate occasions.

But in a statement, it said: "We, as a club, feel that keeping the number in existence gives a reminder of whom has worn it previously and keeps Maddy's memory alive."

Sheffield United added that it had taken the same stance on defender George Baldock, who died in 2024 after spending seven years at the club.

Plans to mark the second anniversary of Maddy's death on 20 September at the side's home game against Charlton Athletic are being finalised, the club said.

It also said "conversations can be had" about any lasting tributes once Maddy's inquest concludes.

Until that day, Olivia has the tattoo as one lasting reminder of her sister.

"Anywhere I go, you'll come with me. Anyone I meet, you'll shake their hand," she says.

If you've been affected by the issues raised in this article, help and support is available via BBC Action Line.