Professional English soccer player Jake Daniels has come out becoming the first active, openly gay player in the league.

On Monday, the 17-year-old forward released a lengthy statement through Blackpool FC where he just finished his first season.
 

 

"This season has been a fantastic one for me on the pitch," he says, "But off the pitch I've been hiding the real me and who I really am. 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 the personal statement, Daniels mentions Josh Cavallo of Australian team Adelaide United, who came out last October, and is the only openly gay man currently playing in a top division in world soccer, as inspiration for his brave decision to be open about this part of his life.

When you compare women’s soccer with men’s soccer in regard to its many prominent LGBTQ+ players, the men’s professional game lacks players who are comfortable enough or feel supported enough to be out publicly. Homophobia and hostility towards LGBTQ+ persons in the sport unfortunately isn’t uncommon.

In light of Daniel’s announcement, fellow Blackpool FC teammate Marvin Ekpiteta has released an apology over some homophobic tweets from 2012 and 2013 that had resurfaced. Ekpiteta has deleted the offensive posts and addressed the issue publicly saying, “I want to wholeheartedly apologise for the offensive and completely inappropriate language I used, and for the sentiments I expressed…Yesterday, I was proud of Jake and all involved at Blackpool FC for what is a hugely positive moment for football as a whole…I am embarrassed by the comments I made as a 17-year-old, nearly a decade ago, which do not in any way reflect the values I hold now or the beliefs I have as a person or as a team-mate.”

In addition to that, over the weekend a player in a professional French league opted to sit out of a game due to the fact his team was to wear jerseys with rainbow-coloured numbers in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

On a more positive note, The Northwest English club released a statement in response to Daniels’ announcement saying that they’re, “incredibly proud that he has reached a stage where he is empowered to express himself both on and off the pitch.” The English Football Association also commented tweeting, “Jake, you are an inspiration to us all and we fully support your decision to be open about this part of yourself. Football is a game for all, with diversity at its heart, and this is a hugely positive step as we strive to build an inclusive game that we can all be proud of.”
 


A trailblazer in his own right, Daniels ended his statement on an uplifting note, hoping his decision to come out will inspire others to live life more freely and openly saying, “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. There are people out there in the same space as me that may not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality. I just want to tell them that you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, just to fit in. You being you, and being happy, is what matters most.”

Daniels is the first professional player in British men's football to come out publicly since Justin Fashanu in the 1990s.​