Jake, who signed his first professional deal with Blackpool in February, said in his statement that he had been “hiding the real me”, but has “known my whole life that I’m gay”.
“I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself,” he revealed.
While admitting that this was “a step into the unknown”, Jake said that he been inspired by fellow footballers Josh Cavallo, and Matt Morton, as well as athletes from other sports, like Tom Daley, to “have the courage and determination to drive change”.
He said that he hopes to be a “role model” for others in the future.
Since the news broke and Jake shared his message with fans on Blackpool FC’s website yesterday evening, the footballing world and countless members of the public have been reacting with love and expressing their messages of support on social media – calling it a “significant” moment in sporting history.
The statement read: “Jake, you are an inspiration to us all and we fully support your decision to be open about this part of yourself. Football is a game for all, with diversity at its heart, and this is a hugely positive step as we strive to build an inclusive game that we can all be proud of.
Former players and current pundits and presenters Gary Lineker and Rio Ferdinand were among the many famous names to share messages.
Well played, @Jake_Daniels11. It’s been a brilliant season for you on the pitch, and now through your bravery, off the pitch too. I’m sure you’ll receive huge love and support from the football community and many others will follow your path. Good luck to you. 👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/H1kqBCDSZ4
Massive respect for this brave decision. Let's all help create a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ people in football and beyond! 👏🏽 https://t.co/KUpCaYPap7
Lineker also said in a follow-up tweet: “I honestly think that, aside from a few homophobic morons, football will be incredibly welcoming and enormously supportive towards a gay footballer.
“It’s long overdue for a player to ‘come out’ even though it’s ridiculous that it’s even necessary. A footballer is a footballer.”
England captain Harry Kane also said “football should be welcoming for everyone”.
Massive credit to you @Jake_Daniels11 and the way your friends, family, club, and captain have supported you. Football should be welcoming for everyone. https://t.co/x0MLZnBkjM
Jake’s message was also discussed on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football yesterday, where pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher praised the young player for his actions and talked about the culture of football leading up to this point.
“It’s a day of great importance for English football,” Neville said.
"It's a day of great importance for English football"
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher discuss Blackpool's Jake Daniels coming out as gay – the first UK professional footballer to do so publicly since 1990 pic.twitter.com/YzUrpfYP1M
“I want to stop and take a moment to acknowledge Jake’s announcement and say how very proud I am for his bravery,” Josh Cavallo also said in a touching statement.
“It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that my story has helped guide Jake to be his true self.
“It’s touching to see the millions of people that my story has impacted and inspired around the world, and to see it help evolve the world game at all levels, is fantastic. This world and the game of football has a place for everyone. Love will always win.”
It's a landmark day in British LGBT history. Brilliant, brave @Jake_Daniels11 – a professional Championship footballer with @BlackpoolFC – has come out. Huge respect to you, Jake, and to your club and teammates for supporting you. ⚽️🏳️🌈
If you dont understand why Jake Daniels is big news, football is one of many professions where the closet is seen as a commercially safer option for gay men. It needs someone with the courage to put that to the test. Hopefully in years to come we'll wonder what the fuss was about
Prime Minster Boris Johnson even took to Twitter to share support for Jake, adding: “Thank you for your bravery Jake, it would have taken huge courage to come out and you will be an inspiration to many both on and off the pitch.”
Leader of Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, added on Twitter: “This shows real courage and bravery and will serve as an inspiration to many young people across the country.
“Thank you Jake. We are all with you.”
Thank you for your bravery Jake, it would have taken huge courage to come out and you will be an inspiration to many both on and off the pitch. https://t.co/tCmSUBnj5R
Members of the public also shared messages of support in their thousands.
Jake Daniels became the first professional male player in English football to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu 32 years ago, and he said in his message to fans: “I’ve hated lying my whole life and feeling the need to change to fit in.
“I want to be a role model myself by doing this.
“There are people out there in the same space as me that may not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality. I just want to tell them that you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, just to fit in.
“You being you, and being happy, is what matters most.”
Featured Image – Blackpool FC
News
Government reportedly considering introducing two-hour screen time limit for children
Emily Sergeant
Reports are suggesting that the UK Government is considering introducing two-hour screen time limits for children.
With an announcement on the matter expected later this autumn, Sky News is reporting that social media limits for children are being planned by the Government in a bid to tackle what is being referred to as ‘compulsive’ screen time usage – with Technology Secretary Peter Kyle admitting he is concerned about ‘the overall amount of time kids spend on apps’ these days, as well as the content they see.
Following meetings with current and former employees of some of the country’s major tech companies, a two-hour cap per social media platform is being ‘seriously considered’.
It is understood that, according to reports, instead of simply just being reminded of how long they have been scrolling for, children would actually be blocked from accessing apps, such as TikTok or Snapchat, once they have hit the limit.
The Government is considering introducing a two-hour screen time limit for children / Credit: RawPixel / Flickr
“I’ll be making an announcement on these things in the near future,” Mr Kyle told Sky News in an interview this week, “but I am looking very carefully about the overall time kids spend on these apps.”
He continued: “I think some parents feel a bit disempowered about how to actually make their kids healthier online.
“I think some kids feel that sometimes there is so much compulsive behaviour with interaction with the apps, they need some help just to take control of their online lives, and those are things I’m looking at really carefully.
“We talk a lot about a healthy childhood offline. We need to do the same online. I think sleep is very important, to be able to focus on studying is very important.”
The proposed limit is to help prevent ‘compulsive’ scrolling / Credit: William Hook (via Unsplash)
Mr Kyle admitted that, while children spending hours viewing content on social media isn’t ‘criminal’, but the overuse of some of these apps in particular is ‘unhealthy’.
“I think we can incentivise the companies,” he continued.
“We can set a slightly different threshold that will just tip the balance in favour of parents, [so that they’re] not always being the ones having to rip phones out of the kids’ hands and having a really awkward and difficult conversation around it.”
The upcoming proposed screen time limit comes after 1,000 pupils – mostly aged 14 and 15 – at schools in the North East town of Darlington spent a year participating in regular focus groups about smartphones and social media.
The survey found that 40% of them spent at least six hours a day online, and one in five even spent as long as eight hours scrolling.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
News
Road to Victory returns for massive Euro 2025 final screening at AO Arena
Danny Jones
England are in another final, and you know what that means: Road to Victory is returning to Manchester for another massive screening at the AO Arena as England’s women’s team prepare to defend their Euros trophy.
Sarina Weigman’s side made it to their second consecutive European final on Tuesday night following more late drama for the Lionesses against Italy.
The squad, which has seen a number of personnel changes since Euro 2022, managed to make it through to the final in the eleventh hour thanks to another stoppage-time equaliser from Michelle Agyemang and even more tense follow-up from a scuffed spot-kick by Chloe Kelly.
Will they ever stop giving us heart palpitations at major tournaments? Probably not, but the big watchalong party inside the AO Arena, which will see thousands turn up to watch the Euro 2025 final, is sure to deliver plenty of excitement either way.
For anyone unfamiliar with the massive fan zone – one of THE biggest in all Europe, in fact – Road to Victory is the unparalleled supporter party by AIX (Amplified Immersive Xperiences) Live, who specialise in the top-end of audio-visual matchday viewing vibes.
Having hosted huge screenings for the previous men’s Euros and the Qatar World Cup, and even inspiring a massive watchalong of last season’s Europa League final at the venue, Road to Victory (RtV) is just about as big and bold as it gets.
Think BOXPARK in London only bigger, more interactive and, dare we say it… better?
Yes, we do dare say it; having attended RtV on multiple occasions since it landed here back in 2022, we can confirm you won’t find an atmosphere quite like it anywhere else. At least not in Greater Manchester, anyway.
Case and point:
With doors to the women’s Euros screening opening at 4pm, there’ll be plenty of time for pre-match build-up before the game gets underway, and there’ll be plenty of entertainment, light displays, food, drinks and more – it’s just up to Manchester fans to be in full voice.
The Women’s European Championships certainly have a more all-ages, family-friendly feel to them, but Road to Victory and the AO Arena are still ensuring they deliver a palpable match-day energy.
Tickets are already live following England’s place in the last two of the Women’s Euros now confirmed, it’s merely a matter of securing yours and finding out who, out of Germany and Spain, will meet them in the final this weekend.
Once again, the 2025 Women’s Euros final kicks off at 5pm on Sunday, 27 July, and you can grab your tickets for the Road to Victory screening at the AO Arena in Manchester right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
17th May 2022 
