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.”
Daniels is a well-respected and talented player for the English club, who scored 30 goals for Blackpool’s youth team this season.
Messages of support are flooding in for Daniels from all over the world, including some of the biggest names in the sport community.
Daniels hopes to make it a safe space for other people to speak out with a clear message for viewers.