Jake Daniels

The teenage forward is the first British male footballer to come out publicly since Justin Fashanu, and he says he hopes that his decision to go public ...

“If my Uncle Justin were alive I know he would have been one of the first people to have contacted Jake to offer his support and best wishes. They said: "We are extremely proud of Jake and have been working with him and his club. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally," he said. Former Aston Villa, West Ham and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out after retiring from football, tweeted: "Well done Jake Daniels. Have a wonderful career! I’m sure you’ll receive huge love and support from the football community and many others will follow your path. I couldn't have wished for it to go better. So it's been a long time that I have been living with the lie. "I needn't have worried. "I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. "At that age you don't really think that football and being gay doesn't mix. "Now is the right time to do it. I know now is the time.

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has described his 'massive relief' at coming out, becoming the first active UK male footballer since Justin Fashanu.

“If my Uncle Justin were alive I know he would have been one of the first people to have contacted Jake to offer his support and best wishes,” she said. “I am hoping that by coming out, I can be a role model, to help others come out if they want to. I am only 17 but I am clear that this is what I want to do and if, by me coming out, other people look at me and feel maybe they can do it as well, that would be brilliant. “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,” he said. “I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. “Now is the time to do it,” he said.

Blackpool player: 'Now's the right time to do it. I feel like I'm ready to tell my story'

“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. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.” “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.

A 17-year-old player has come out, becoming the only openly gay male professional footballer in Britain. Blackpool forward Jake Daniels said he has received " ...

Jake Daniels says he wants to help make the game he loves a better more welcoming place and already feels liberated and massively supported. Anyone who has a problem with his decision needs to have a long hard look at themselves. On coming out, he said: "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. "Everything has kind of happened at once but it feels right. It's a 17-year-old telling us who he is. Then there is the cesspit of social media abuse. So it has been a struggle." I couldn't have wished for it to go better. A pretty unremarkable thing. "I needn't have worried. It was impacting my mental health. "But I just knew that was just such a long time of just lying and not being able to have what I want," he said.

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has become the first active male professional footballer in England to come out since Justin Fashanu 32 years ago.

“I am hoping that by coming out, I can be a role model, to help others come out if they want to. “The captain was one of the main people I told and he also asked me loads of questions. “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. “I needn't have worried. So it's been a long time that I have been living with the lie. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story.

Jake Daniels has received praise from across football after coming out as gay, with the FA calling the forward 'an inspiration to us all'

Football is ready for this moment and we believe it has been for some time. Neville’s colleague, the former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, said: “I know the [Blackpool] manager Neil Critchley, I had a relationship with him at Liverpool. Neil will be a huge support mechanism for Jake because he will need that going forward. We know that now it is something that is acceptable from a fan point of view, but it’s not yet got into the dressing room. All I would say is it’s a day of great importance for Jake and his family, but also for English football. In a statement the FA said: “We fully support your decision to be open about this part of yourself. “I’m sure you’ll receive huge love and support from the football community and many others will follow your path.

David has joined the club and the football world in praising the young Blackpool forward for coming out as gay.

You being you, and being happy, is what matters most." 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. Let's all help create a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ people in football and beyond! “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. “But off the pitch I’ve been hiding the real me and who I really am. “This season has been a fantastic one for me on the pitch,” says Daniels in a statement released today via Blackpool’s website.

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An FA statement read: "Jake, you are an inspiration to us all and we fully support your decision to be open about this part of yourself. It's up to all of us to make that happen, which is why we should all speak out against discrimination and in support of the LGBTQ+ community." A Premier League statement read: "We support Jake and believe football is for everyone. "Stonewall is proud to provide ongoing support to Jake, his close network and Blackpool FC to navigate the challenges of coming out in the public eye. Huge respect to you, Jake, and to your club and teammates for supporting you." Coming out today will be freeing and liberating for you and for football fans around the world who will be inspired to open about their identity too.

Blackpool star Jake Daniels is the first male professional footballer, in England, since Justin Fashanu to publicly come out as gay.

"I am hoping that by coming out, I can be a role model, to help others come out if they want to. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally," he added. I couldn't have wished for it to go better," Daniels added. That was a great reaction because it showed how much they cared." So it's been a long time that I have been living with the lie. "I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it.

Josh Cavallo has said it is a 'wonderful feeling' knowing his story helped Jake Daniels become the UK's first male professional footballer to come out as ...

“It’s touching to see the millions of people that my story has impacted and inspired around the world, and to see it help evolve the world game at all levels, is fantastic. Thomas Hitzlsperger of Germany is arguably the most high profile, although, like the American former Leeds player Robbie Rogers, he waited until after retirement to reveal his sexuality publicly. “It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that my story has helped guide Jake to be his true self.

Jake Daniels has become the first professional soccer player in the UK since 1990 to publicly come out as gay. The Blackpool forward been widely praised.

So it's been a long time that I have been living with the lie. "I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I want people to know the real me."

This is a big story. In less than 24 hours, the young footballer has become a household name; written about on the front pages, discussed on morning television, ...

Daniels is the player who scored four goals in a youth fixture the day after telling his mother and sister. He is a 17-year-old playing in the second tier of English football who only recently signed his first professional contract. A young man who, before Monday, few would have heard of. Daniels alone cannot change that. Fashanu played on for seven years but, aged 37, he took his own life. "I am ready to be myself," said Daniels in his statement, before adding it was a "step into the unknown."