Jake Daniels Com Out, Be UK's Only Openly Gay Pro Soccer Player

Contents:

• GAY FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS' NETWORK
• JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990
• NEW YORK GAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
• 17-YEAR-OLD SOCCER PLAYER OUT, BEG THE UK'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER
• JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER 'VERY LIKELY' TO E OUT NEXT YEAR, SAYS JT FASHANU'S NIECE
• MEET VILLAGE MANCHTER FC: THE GAY FOOTBALL TEAM MAKG A DIFFERENCE
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• 'I WAS BEATEN UP BY TURKISH POLICE AND JAILED BEE I 'LOOKED GAY''

GAY FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS' NETWORK

The Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has end s of silence wh men’s football to bee the first player the UK to e out as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990. Photograph: Pl Dennis/TGS Photo/ShutterstockDaniels’s revelatn is a strikg landmark that when men’s football is more engaged wh social issu than any recent time, but still unable to ce progrs LGBTQ reprentatn wh the year Alai Uned’s Josh Cavallo beme the only male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay, but others are yet to follow.

In six months the men’s World Cup will be played Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal, and Cavallo revealed to the Guardian he would be “sred” to play at the tournament, the pnacle of world English football specifilly, the shadow of the talented and unfulfilled Fashanu still lgers over the game. The England ternatnal me out at the end of his reer and was to take his own life eight years later, Fashanu, Jt’s niece, who ns a charable foundatn his name, said that Daniels’s cisn would “e as a huge fort to the many footballers at all levels of the game still secretly livg as gay and who still feel unable to e out”.

“The only time I saw any evince of homophobia at Heyford was om the team manager. This cint, scribed Neil Beasley’s 2016 book tled Football’s Comg Out, is one of many exampl to showse the ia that homophobia is arguably ltered football culture. As a rult, many LGBTQ+ people avoid participatg football due to the unfortable environment that is a rult of ep-rooted homophobia that exists the game.

JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990

One stat which is really damng illtrat that 66 per cent of lbian, gay, bi and trans people felt that there were problems wh homophobia and transphobia sport and that this acted as a barrier to LGBT people takg part.

NEW YORK GAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The ath of Jt Fashanu, who was the first profsnal player to e out, raised the qutn as to why there uldn’t be an openly gay footballer playg at the top level.

Thankfully, the Gay Football Supporters Network set up the GFSN League, which is the world’s only natnal league that is aimed at the LGBTQ+ muny and is open to all.

“Now I’d never heard of a natnal gay football league, ” ex-player and Coventry Cy fan Beasley adms his tobgraphy, when relayg his memori om his playg days. Beasley, after fdg out about the prospect of playg ‘gay football’, signed for Birmgham Blaze. “Last year, we were supposed to have our annual Charlton v Homophobia football tournament at the Valley if wasn’t for lockdown.

17-YEAR-OLD SOCCER PLAYER OUT, BEG THE UK'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER

You know that the big clubs re about the muny relatn to helpg tackle homophobia wh fanbas. Now some of those players may never have e across any gay players the past, but that’s the power of the betiful game – to brg everyone together and uned the form of kickg out all discrimatn football. Havg the clive clubs sttered around the untry e wh the risk of backlash om homophobic people who may play for regular teams.

Fortunately, acrdg to experienced player Gnaw, the cints of homophobia are not a regular occurrence and as rult, monstrat the willgns and acceptance that many regular clubs have when to clive clubs. “Apparently a ment was said somethg along the l of ‘oh yeah, this is the gay team.

We played them off the park, and after the game their players were shakg our hands, almost as if the penny had dropped to the fact that gays n play well.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

Who would have thought a posive would have e om a homophobic experience?

“The feelg of knowg you have been endorsed as a gay man playg for a Charlton team – I want to feel that same feelg.

Our msage is simple: Whether you're gay, straight or bisexual you n get on the pch and enjoy playg football whout fear of discrimatn.

GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER 'VERY LIKELY' TO E OUT NEXT YEAR, SAYS JT FASHANU'S NIECE

The Natnal Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) v you to. We’re proud of our succs, and we hope you’ll fd a home one of our premiere gay sportg leagu a cy near you.

Jake Daniels, 17, me out as gay on Monday.

The Blackpool FC forward is now the only openly gay, active profsnal soccer player the UK. Jake Daniels, a forward for England's Blackpool Football Club, me out as gay on Monday, beg the UK's only active profsnal soccer player and first to e out 30 years.

MEET VILLAGE MANCHTER FC: THE GAY FOOTBALL TEAM MAKG A DIFFERENCE

"I've known my whole life that I'm gay, and I now feel that I'm ready to e out and be myself. Last year, the fensive end Carl Nassib me out as gay, beg the first openly gay man to actively play the NFL. Yorkshire Terriers were one of the first gay-iendly teams to be found the UK, back 1997 and were a founr member of the GFSN (Gay Football Supporters Network) Natnal League at the start of the 2002/3 season.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

The first team lay Middlex County Football League, the sends the natnal gay 11-a-si league (the GFSN), and two sis the London Uny League. Invicta aren’t an exclively gay si, they simply provi a team where LGBTQ people will feel wele. The club is amb, addg a Saturday team this season, as well as readyg themselv for the Pairs Gay Gam Augt of next year and playg a role the Tacklg Homophobia Sport event this tumn.

Stonewall FC Havg started out as one man lookg for like-md dividuals to play wh, Stonewall was born as an official club 1991 makg them the olst openly gay football club the world. Sce then, Stonewall has been at the foreont of LGBTQ sport, operatg three teams today, wh partnerships wh adidas and Team Pri (a llectn of major pani, cludg Aviva, Sky Sports and O2, that rais awarens surroundg homophobia, biphobia and transphobia sport). Village Manchter Football Club is a gay/bi/trans/straight clive club that wel anyone who lov football!

'I WAS BEATEN UP BY TURKISH POLICE AND JAILED BEE I 'LOOKED GAY''

We play agast gay and straight teams, take part natnal tournaments and anise an overseas trip most years. "Blackpool forward Jake Daniels speaks exclively on beg the UK's first male profsnal footballer to e out publicly as gay sce Jt talks about g out to his parents, his club, and his team-mat.

I n't really put a date on , but I was probably five or six years old when I knew I was gay. Zanr Murray signs for Bonnyrigg Rose to bee only openly gay player SPFL.