The very young Blackpool striker

Jake Daniels

(17 years old) has made public through a statement that he is homosexual: "

I am gay, and now I feel that I am ready to go out and be myself

."

The British club, for its part, has collaborated with various entities such as Stonewall and the relevant football organizations to support its player, as he revealed in his statement.

The club was proud that he "

has reached a stage where he has the ability to express himself both on and off the pitch

."

This season has been fantastic on a sporting level for the young striker.

"I've already made my first-team debut, scored 30 youth goals and signed my first professional contract

. I've also had a great run in the FA Youth Cup and lifted the Lancashire FA Pro-Youth," enthuses Daniels.

However, outside the pitch, and his life as a professional footballer, Daniels has never been able to express himself as he is.

"I've been hiding my true self and who I really am," he adds.

For the player, his announcement has been a challenge, as he has been the second male British professional footballer to do so.

The previous one, in 1990, was

Justin Fashanu

, a footballer for Norwich and Manchester City, among many other teams.

Fashanu exclusively admitted to the tabloid 'The Sun' that he was gay after learning that a newspaper was about to publish it.

"It's a step into the unknown being one of the first professionals in this country to reveal my sexuality, but

Josh Cavallo

,

Matt Morton

and other athletes, like

Tom Daley

, have inspired me to have the courage and determination to come out," he abounds. in his writing Jake.

"Of course I am aware that there will be a backlash to this and some of it will be homophobic, maybe in a stadium or on social media. It's an easy target," he admits.

"I've hated lying all my life"

For his part, Daniels has also taken advantage of the message to encourage all those people who live in the same situation not to be afraid to show themselves as they really are: "There are people in the same space as me who may not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality. I just want to tell them that they don't have to change who they are, or how they should be, just to fit in."

"I have hated lying all my life and feel the need to change to fit in. I want to be a role model by doing this. Being you and being happy is the most important thing," says the player, before detailing how he announced it in the locker room .

"My teammates have been very supportive, they have all been very supportive. They have asked tons of questions, they have been very interested and their reaction has been fantastic. It is the best thing I could have wished for," he concludes.

"It is essential that everyone promotes an environment in which people feel comfortable being themselves and that football leads the elimination of all forms of discrimination and prejudice," concludes Blackpool.

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