News

Jake Daniels the first openly gay U.K. professional Footballer since 1990

Holly Stearnes 17 May 2022, 7:56am AEST ·Updated 3 weeks ago·2 min read

17-year-old Jake Daniels is the first active U.K. professional footballer to come out as gay since 1990

Daniels plays for Blackpool Football Club in England and has publicly come out as gay, making him the first to do so in decades.

In a special report by Sky Sports News, Daniels says he knew he was gay from a young age but worried that football and his identity didn’t mix.

In a moment of great importance and player pride, Daniels confided in his teammates and publicly spoke of his identity, at the start of his career.

Daniels made his senior debut for the club just weeks ago but says he is ready to be himself and inspire others in the game.

Daniels says “the time is right to be myself, be free and be confident…Now is the time to do it…I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. I want people to know the real me.”

“I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay, and I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself.
In reaching this point, I’ve had some of the best support and advice from my family, my Club, my agent and Stonewall, who have all been incredibly pro-active in putting my interests and welfare first.
I have also confided in my team-mates in the youth team here at Blackpool, and they too have embraced the news and supported my decision to open up and tell people.” “I’ve hated lying my whole life and feeling the need to change to fit in. I want to be a role model myself by doing this.”
Jake daniels statement

Daniels is a well-respected and talented player for the English club, who scored 30 goals for Blackpool’s youth team this season.

“Blackpool Football Club has worked closely with Stonewall and the relevant footballing organisations to support Jake and is incredibly proud that he has reached a stage where he is empowered to express himself both on-and-off the pitch.”
blackpool football club statement

Messages of support are flooding in for Daniels from all over the world, including some of the biggest names in the sport community.