Out Footballer Jake Daniels Inspired To Come Out By Tom Daley

Jake Daniels, the first UK male footballer, since 1990, to come out as gay, has spoken out about how he was inspired by diver Tom Daley to come out. 

The 17-year-old, who signed his first professional deal with Blackpool in February, debuted for the Championship club earlier this year.

Inspired by Daley’s Discussion On Homophobia

Daniels spoke to The Sun, telling the UK newspaper how he was inspired by the British diver’s discussion on the issue of homophobia in football in his Christmas message from last year. 

Channel 4’s Christmas message first aired in 1993 and is an alternative to the Queen’s traditional Christmas Message to the nation. Daley’s ‘Alternative Christmas’ message discussed the lack of openly gay footballers in the men’s Premier League, asserting that if he had “one Christmas wish it would be that next year that changes.”

Daley added, “Think for a moment about the number of players too scared to speak up, and how lonely that must be.”

“Nearly 7 per cent of people in the UK identify as gay or bisexual … there are around 500 Premier League players. Statistically, there are enough players for three football teams. At least one gay man at every club in the Premier League, living a lie,” Daley said at the time. 

Opened Up About His Coming Out Journey

Daniels opened up about the journey to accepting his sexuality in the new Channel 4 documentary, Out and Proud in Football, and expressed his frustration with the ‘taboo’ nature of being gay in football. 

 “In football, being gay is a taboo – even now. So I had a choice, either live my life as a lie and carry on playing football or come out and have to quit,” Daniels stated in the documentary. 

 Daniels praised Daley’s ‘Alternative Christmas’ message, emphasising the diver’s words on “how amazing it would be and what a difference it would make if one brave player came out as gay.”

The football player was inspired by Daley’s encouragement for other gay football players to be “brave”, and his decision to subsequently come out was a landmark one, becoming the first openly gay British footballer to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990.

‘Push The Community To Get Where It Should Be’

 In an interview with Vogue UK in November, Daniels spoke of a need to “push the community to get where it should be, especially in football and all sport.”

 “When I did get my Instagram back and I saw some of the messages, it was people’s mums saying, ‘You’ve made my son come out.’ That’s an impact I wanted to have”, Daniels said. 

 Daniels also told Sky Sports in May that he thought he would always “have to hide his truth” due to being a professional footballer.

 But his decision to come out arose after realising that he didn’t want to live a lie. 

 “I am hoping that by coming out I can be a role model, to help others come out if they want to,” he said.