Stoney dedicates Hall of Fame induction to Beard

Canada manager Casey Stoney dedicated her induction into the Women's Super League Hall of Fame to friend Matt Beard, describing him as a "special" person.

Beard died in September at the age of 47 after an 18-year career in management during which he led Liverpool to back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014.

In an interview with BBC Sport this month, Beard's family urged football to introduce regular, mandatory mental-health checks for managers.

Former England captain Stoney played under Beard at Chelsea for two seasons and managed against him in the WSL during her time as Manchester United boss.

Stoney and Beard were joined in the Hall of Fame by former Birmingham City captain Kerys Harrop, who made 183 WSL appearances.

The inductees were honoured during the WSL Football awards ceremony in London.

"If you look around the room, you see how many people Beardy impacted in a positive way and how many he had time for," Stoney told BBC Sport.

"It didn't matter who you were, what your role was or whether you knew him for one minute or 10 years, he had time for you.

"He had a real innate ability to just make you laugh, even in the crappiest of times, and that is such a skill.

"To be able to stand alongside Matt, figuratively speaking, see his family here, and be honoured at the same time as him, is a privilege."

Stoney is hoping to lead Canada to the Women's World Cup in Brazil next year but has relished seeing the growth of the WSL from afar.

She managed Manchester United when they were reformed as a professional outfit in 2018, guiding them to the WSL and to back-to-back fourth-placed finishes before stepping down in 2021 because of frustrations over a lack of investment by the club.

Marc Skinner has managed the team since but United are yet to win a WSL title.

"It was quite public why I left and we all know the reasons. I think they have invested more since I left. Marc's had a decent budget," said Stoney.

"Are they at the level of the other clubs? Possibly not in terms of wages and recruitment. If they do want to go higher, they are going to have to invest in the squad and get more depth, especially if they play in the Champions League.

"They were doing OK this season until they got to March and the amount of games hit the players. There's not much rotation and they lost vital players at vital times.

"You're only ever as good as the team you can put out on the pitch. It's about the investment you're prepared to put in."