Image source, Family photo Image caption,

Maddy Cusack, shown here at her sister's graduation, was the second eldest of four children

By Caroline Lowbridge & Graham Satchell

BBC News

The mother of footballer Maddy Cusack, who died at the age of 27, has said the pressures faced by female footballers are "way too much".

Maddy, who played for Sheffield United, was found dead at her home in Derbyshire two months ago.

Her family say the club has agreed to a full external inquiry into the events leading up to the midfielder's death.

The club told the BBC it could not confirm or deny an investigation was happening.

Maddy's family said she had no longstanding mental health issues but was facing a number of pressures in the months before she died, including financial pressures.

As well as playing for Sheffield United in the Women's Championship - the second tier of women's football - Maddy worked in the club's office as a marketing executive, and her family said she had to do two jobs to make ends meet.