An analyst at a League Two club who has come out as gay has lamented the lack of progress within football when it comes to players and coaches having the courage to reveal their true sexuality.
Daniel Hutchings, part of the first-team staff at Stevenage, said gay people working within football will be 'stuck in a kind of limbo' until a high-profile player comes out.
In a Twitter message, Hutchings said: 'I've seen it first hand that it's so difficult to work within professional football and be openly gay.'
It came after the former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra claimed there are at least two gay players in every football team but they would be forced out the club if they came out.
Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United in Australia's A-League, is the world's only openly gay top-flight footballer and received a wave of support when he opened up about his sexuality last year.
But as Hutchings, who started in his position at Stevenage last year having previously been at National League outfit Barnet, confirmed it remains a taboo subject within most clubs.
Daniel Hutchings, a first-team analyst at League Two club Stevenage, has spoken about the difficulties of being openly gay and working in professional football
In a Twitter post, Hutchings came out as gay and then spoke about the lack of progress on the issue within the game with barely any footballers having the courage to reveal they are gay
He wrote: 'I've been wanting to do this for a while but never plucked up the courage - I'm gay. Shock, horror!
'I stopped caring what people thought about my sexuality a while ago but even still, I've seen it first hand that it's so difficult to work within professional football and be openly gay.
'This is a big deal for me to do this. I haven't even been able to bring myself to tell my teammates and colleagues at my club first about this, so to them I apologise. And surprise!
'I've been involved in the game since I was a kid, whether as a player growing up or as an analyst now, and I always thought I could go through my career without ever mentioning it - it's no one's business ultimately!
'But through the years it's become harder and header to keep it up.
'I also hoped that things might have progressed within the sport that I so dearly love. Sadly, I've seen little to none.
Hutchings works as an analyst at League Two club Stevenage, who play at the Lamex Stadium
'I do think that things will begin to change when a professional player comes out but until then we're almost stuck in a kind of limbo.
'I'm sure this message won't go very far or have much impact but even if it helps one person within football/sport with their sexuality, in even the smallest way, then it would have been worth it.
'Another reason why I'm doing this is I think the weight of it on my shoulders this whole time might have affected my performance at work and that kills me because all I want to do is win 3 points on a Saturday and although my part in doing that is small, any way of me improving myself at my job has to be a good thing.
'Just one more thing as an aside, if you think about it, this whole 'coming out' thing is a load of b*******. I mean, who cares, right?
Hutchings said he hoped his comments would help others in football and sport to have the confidence
