Mather also said that while Daniels’ coming out shows how far the football world has progressed over the years, it’s also a sign that more needs to be done to tackle homophobia in the sport. I think the authorities still have to do a lot more.” But unfortunately we’ve got a lot more hearts and minds to win. He added: “Our quest, as football fans’ organisations, is always to make ourselves redundant. “Within hours of the news coming out received abuse about this, which I think sums up unfortunately the cesspit social media has become,” he said. Rishi Madlani, co-chair of LGBTQ+ football fan network Pride in Football, said that he was delighted to see news of Daniels coming out, but acknowledged that more still must be done by football authorities to combat homophobia and transphobia in the sport.
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In women’s professional football, meanwhile, there are several high-profile gay players, including Megan Rapinoe, Vivianne Miedema and Sam Kerr.A message from Jake Daniels. This season, they finished 16th in the division. Hitzlsperger, formerly of Aston Villa, West Ham and Everton, came out in 2014, a year after ending his playing career.īlackpool is a town located in the north west of England and its team compete in the Championship, the second tier of professional football. Thomas is the only openly gay player to have ever featured in the Premier League. In October 2021, Australian Josh Cavallo also came out as gay.įormer Norwich City and Nottingham Forest player Fashanu became the UK’s first openly gay male professional footballer when he came out in an interview with The Sun in 1990.įashanu later took his own life in 1998 at the age of 37. In June 2018, Collin Martin, then of Minnesota United in MLS, became the world’s only current openly gay, active male professional footballer. He added that coming out to his family, club and team-mates had helped him be more confident and happy to be himself. “However, I knew that would lead to a long time of lying and not being able to be myself or lead the life that I want to.” No other player in the professional game here is out. I asked myself if I should wait until I've retired to come out. “For a long time I've thought I would have to hide my truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer.
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“I wasn't ready and it was a struggle but I just don't want to lie any more. In school people even used to ask me: 'Are you sure you aren't gay?' And I would reply, 'No, I'm not'. “I did have girlfriends in the past, to try and make all my mates think I was straight, but it was just a massive cover-up. “But as you get older you realise you can't just change. You just think, one day, when I'm older I'll get a girlfriend and I will change and it will be fine.
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“At that age you don't really think that football and being gay doesn't mix. So it's been a long time that I have been living with the lie. He made his debut for Blackpool's senior side earlier this month, coming on as a substitute in a Championship game against Peterborough.ĭaniels continued: “I can't really put a date on it, but I was probably five or six years old when I knew I was gay. He has scored 30 goals for the club’s under-19 team this season.
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I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all.” “I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. “I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. “Now is the right time to do it,” he said on Monday. Daniels, 17, told Sky Sports he “wanted people to hear his story”. Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has become the UK’s first male professional footballer to come out publicly as gay since Justin Fashanu.