As an openly gay footy player, I uld only dream of this moment: AFL’s Pri Game is historic ·

SAM GILBERT, ST KILDA PLAYERS MARCH FOR GAY PRI AHEAD OF FIRST EVER GAY PRI GAME AGAST SYDNEY

ST KILDA chief executive Matt Fnis nces the AFL’s first openly gay player will need to whstand unique prsur and challeng. * gay st kilda player *

Followed tegori will be add to My KILDA chief executive Matt Fnis nces the AFL’s first openly gay player will need to whstand unique prsur and Fnis says the Sats are termed to smooth the path to creased diversy football wh their world-first Gay Pri game Round and St Kilda fenr Sam Gilbert were among a legatn of Sats that marched unr the club’s lours at Sunday’s Gay Pri march Fzroy St, St Kilda and Sydney will play that Round 21 game as part of the Sats’ progrsive outlook on social issu and promotg said on Sunday was not the club’s tentn to drag a player out to the open. Instead, he wants to broadst the msage that anyone is wele at St Kilda what would need to change for a gay footballer to e out, he nced was a “difficult issue”.

“The sad realy is for so many gay people they haven’t felt fortable at the football. ”Gilbert has several gay iends and was particularly stck by the story of suburban footballer Jason Ball, who ially hid his sexualy om his teammat. SAM GILBERT, gay in.

It might not be a scriptor the St Kilda fenr ever expected, but, acrdg to Jason Ball (Atralian Football's first openly gay male player), the scriptn is que, a 28-year-old centre half-back for Victorian untry club Yarra Glen, explaed how highly Gilbert is thought of by the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, tersex and qutng (LGBTIQ) muny. "He's bee a gay in a way, " Ball said of the veteran Sats fenr.

SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME

"It sent a msage to other people the sportg world that sayg no to homophobia don't make you ls of a man.

"I me to unrstand a lot of the homophobic language and behavur wasn't g om a place of hatred towards me or gay people, but rather jt ignorance and not knowg the impact on me, " Ball said. "Once I was out, that homophobic language fad. "(They weren't) necsarily directed at me, but every time I would hear those words, felt like a remr if they found out I was gay, I wouldn't be accepted.

"Ball was 12 when he realised he was gay. "Acrdg to the study Out On The Fields, which documented the experienc of gay, lbian and bisexual people team sports, 87 per cent of young gay Atralians felt pelled to hi their sexualy some hid his sexualy om his football club for many years, but he had ma a promise to himself he would not lie about if ever knew tryg to fabrite tal about experienc wh women would get him ught was openly gay while studyg at Melbourne Universy, so when an old school iend me to the football club, Ball's sexualy soon beme an open secret, although he remaed unaware others night after trag, while talkg to a teammate, the nversatn shifted and Ball was asked about his personal life. He was able to proudly intify as a gay cisn to e out publicly was supported by Yarra Glen, which ntu to back Ball his 's experienc have shown him people are pable of change.

ST KILDA AND SYDNEY TO PLAY AFL'S FIRST GAY PRI GAME

"Gilbert believ the AFL is ready for s first openly gay player, but only when a person feels fortable enough to go down that path.

The clubs, who have tablished LGBTQI+ fans’ groups and women’s teams wh openly gay players, are jt sort of wag for permissn and guidance om the AFL to get started. “A Pri Round may turn a handful of people away om one game but, hontly, are they the people you want around the club when you have a women’s team wh openly gay players?