Who is Jake Daniels, UK’s first pro footballer to come out publicly as gay?

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has become the United Kingdom’s first male professional footballer to come out publicly as gay since Justin Fashanu. In a statement on Monday, he said he hopes that his decision to come out publicly will encourage others to do the same.

“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,” Daniels told Sky Sports News.

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“I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time. I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all. I can’t really put a date on it, but I was probably five or six years old when I knew I was gay. So it’s been a long time that I have been living with the lie.”

“At that age you don’t really think that football and being gay doesn’t mix. You just think, one day, when I’m older I’ll get a girlfriend and I will change and it will be fine. But as you get older you realise you can’t just change. It doesn’t work like that,” he added. 

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Who is Jake Daniels?

Jake Daniels comes from Blackpool’s youth academy. He first represented them in the U-18 stage in 2021. The 17-year-old was given his first professional contract with the club in February 2022. He then joined Northern Premier League side Bamber Bridge on loan for the remainder of the season. 

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Daniels was named Blackpool’s youth team player of the season for 2020–21 season when he scored 30 goals for the U18s. His Blackpool debut came against Peterborough United, where the team lost 5-0.