Blackpool striker Jake Daniels came out and became the first openly gay man in British football in 30 years.
“This season has been fantastic for me on the pitch. I made my debut for the first team, scored 30 goals for the youth team, signed my first professional contract. But outside the field, I hid the real me and who I really am. I've known all my life that I'm gay and now I feel like I'm ready to open up and be myself. It's a step into the unknown to be one of the first footballers in this country to come out as gay, but Josh Cavallo, Matt Morton and athletes from other sports like Tom Daly inspired me to be brave," said the 17-year-old available on the Blackpool website.
Daniels became the first professional active player in the UK in over 30 years to come out. In 1990, Englishman Justin Fashanu came out, becoming the first professional football player in the world to do so. Eight years later, Fashanu committed suicide, unable to withstand the attention from the press and harassment from the coach and teammates. He was later inducted into the Norwich City Hall of Fame.