The Saffron Walden community is remembering Daniel “Dan” Finan, a 48-year-old youth football coach whose death has brought sadness to young players, parents, fellow coaches and others who knew him through grassroots football.
Dan was associated with Saffron Walden Community Youth Sports Club, where he was remembered for encouraging children, helping players build confidence and creating positive experiences around the game.
A funeral notice published by Peasgood & Skeates confirms Daniel Finan’s death and lists him as 48 years old.
His cremation service was held on October 2, 2026, at Cam Valley Crematorium in Great Chesterford.
Who Was Dan Finan?
Dan Finan was known within the Saffron Walden grassroots football community as a youth coach.
For the children he worked with, coaching involved more than simply teaching passing, shooting and match tactics.
Tributes have described Dan as someone who encouraged young players and took genuine satisfaction in seeing them progress.
His approach reportedly emphasized confidence, enjoyment and participation.
Youth football coaches often become important figures in children’s lives because they see players through both successful and difficult moments.
For those who worked with Dan, that supportive role appears to have become one of the strongest parts of his legacy.
Dan Finan’s Connection to Saffron Walden Football
Dan was associated with Saffron Walden Community YSC, a grassroots football organization serving young players in and around the Essex market town.
Reports about his passing describe a coach whose contribution was particularly meaningful to the children he trained.
He was remembered for celebrating their achievements and encouraging players when they lacked confidence.
For children developing both sporting skills and self-belief, consistent encouragement from a trusted coach can have an impact extending far beyond individual matches.
That influence is part of why news of Dan’s death has resonated with families throughout the football community.
A Coach Who Encouraged Young Players
Those remembering Dan have emphasized his ability to support children through different stages of their football development.
Young players do not always measure progress through trophies or league results.
Sometimes improvement can mean making a difficult pass, scoring a first goal, trying a new position or simply finding the confidence to remain involved in the sport.
Dan was reportedly the kind of coach who recognized those moments.
He celebrated progress and offered encouragement when players found things difficult.
That supportive style helped make his contribution meaningful to both players and their families.
Saffron Walden Community Pays Tribute
The local youth football community has responded to Dan’s passing with tributes reflecting his contribution.
Reports surrounding his death said a moment of applause was planned before fixtures in his memory.
Such tributes allow players, parents and coaches to come together around the shared loss of someone who played an important role within their club.
For younger players in particular, the death of a coach can be difficult to understand.
Remembering Dan through football gives the children he coached an opportunity to acknowledge someone who had been present during an important part of their lives.
Dan Finan’s Age Confirmed
A formal funeral notice published by Peasgood & Skeates identifies him as Mr Daniel Finan, aged 48.
This provides stronger confirmation than earlier online reports, which did not include his age.
The funeral notice also confirms that a cremation service was scheduled for October 2, 2026.
Dan’s death at 48 means his life ended while he was still actively connected to family, friends and his local community.
What Is Known About Dan Finan’s Cause of Death?
Earlier online reports stated that Dan died following a battle with brain cancer.
However, the formal funeral notice does not explicitly give a medical cause of death.
It does list Brain Tumour Research as one of the charities selected for donations in Dan’s memory.
That connection is significant, but it should not be treated as a formal medical statement confirming his exact cause of death.
For that reason, the safest description is that Dan had a publicly reported connection to a brain tumour or brain cancer illness, while the precise medical cause of death has not been formally stated in the funeral notice.
Memorial Donations Support Brain Tumour Research
The funeral notice provides an important insight into causes close to Dan and his family.
Memorial donations were invited for Brain Tumour Research.
The UK charity funds research into brain tumours and supports efforts to improve understanding and treatment of the disease.
The notice also invited donations to the Saffron Walden District Nurses Fund, administered through Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Charities.
Choosing those organizations suggests that both medical research and local healthcare support held significance for Dan’s loved ones.
Funeral Service Held at Cam Valley Crematorium
Dan’s cremation service was scheduled for Friday, October 2, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.
The service took place at:
Cam Valley Crematorium
Field Farm Drive
Great Chesterford
CB10 1RP
The funeral notice gave friends and members of the community a formal opportunity to remember Dan and support his family.
Messages of condolence were also posted through the memorial page.
What Has Been Confirmed
Daniel Finan has died.
He was 48 years old.
A formal funeral notice was published by Peasgood & Skeates.
Dan was associated with the Saffron Walden community.
He was remembered as a youth football coach connected to Saffron Walden Community YSC.
His cremation service took place on October 2, 2026, at Cam Valley Crematorium in Great Chesterford.
Memorial donations were requested for Brain Tumour Research and the Saffron Walden District Nurses Fund.
Reports from the local football community describe him as an encouraging coach who supported young players.
What Has Not Been Publicly Confirmed
Dan’s formal funeral notice does not specifically state his cause of death.
Earlier reports describe a battle with brain cancer, while the funeral notice names Brain Tumour Research as a memorial charity.
Those facts provide context but should not be expanded into detailed medical claims that have not been released by his family.
The date of Dan’s death has not been clearly stated in the verified funeral notice available publicly.
Detailed information about his immediate family has also not been released in the material reviewed for this article.
Private medical and family information should therefore remain private unless relatives choose to share it.
Why Grassroots Coaches Matter
The response to Dan’s death highlights the important role volunteers and coaches play in youth sport.
Grassroots football depends on people willing to give their evenings and weekends to training young players, organizing matches and helping teams function.
But the best coaches often contribute something beyond technical instruction.
They can help children develop confidence, learn how to respond to disappointment, work with teammates and experience the sense of belonging that comes from being part of a club.
Dan is being remembered in that wider context.
His influence was reportedly measured not just in football results but in the confidence and enjoyment of the children he coached.
Remembering Dan Finan
For the young players who knew him, memories of Dan may remain tied to training sessions, match days and moments of encouragement from the sidelines.
Parents may remember the way he supported their children.
Fellow coaches may remember someone who shared the responsibilities and rewards of grassroots football.
Those individual memories together form a legacy far larger than any match result.
Dan’s passing at only 48 has left his community mourning, but the positive impact he made through youth football continues through the players he encouraged.
What Happens Next
The formal funeral service has now taken place.
Members of the community who wish to remember Dan can support the charities selected in his memory, including Brain Tumour Research and the Saffron Walden District Nurses Fund.
Saffron Walden’s youth football community may also continue honoring his contribution through future matches and club activities.
Any additional family statements or memorial information should be considered confirmed only when released through relatives, the funeral directors or another authorized source.
Disclaimer
This article is based on verified funeral information and publicly available reports concerning Daniel Finan.
Peasgood & Skeates confirms his death and age as 48 but does not formally state a medical cause of death. Earlier reports describe a battle with brain cancer, and Brain Tumour Research was selected as a memorial charity, but detailed medical information should not be assumed beyond what his family has publicly shared.
Private family and medical details should be respected.