Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has become the United Kingdom’s first openly gay soccer player in nearly three decades. Daniels, 17, told Sky Sports that he kept his sexual identity a secret throughout his life because he feared it could interfere with his chance at becoming a professional player. “Now is the right time to do it. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. I want people to know the real me,” he said. “I was probably 5 or 6 years old when I knew I was gay. So it’s been a long time that I have been living with the lie.” Daniels added that the day after he first told his mom and sister, he scored four goals in a match against Accrington, proving “how much of a weight off the shoulders and what a massive relief it was.” His team, Blackpool, has likewise shown incredible support, the young athlete said. “My team-mates have all been so supportive about it and everyone has had my back...It’s the best thing I could have asked for.” In a statement, Blackpool FC said it has supported Daniels and is “incredibly proud that he has reached a stage where he is empowered to express himself both on-and-off the pitch.” Justin Fashanu, a pro footballer from the seventies through the nineties, came out in 1990, becoming the U.K.’s first openly gay male footballer.
