Channel 4 releasing documentary exploring what happens to LGBTQ+ Premier League players who come out

Channel 4 is set to release a documentary detailing what LGBTQ+ Premier League players would experience if they chose to come out.

The one-hour special, titled Football’s Coming Out, will examine how fellow players, football fans, social media users and financial donors respond to the news.

A 30-second-trailer for the film opens with former professional Joleon Lescott saying: ‘It can be a lonely place to be for that person.’

‘People will target you if an outcome to a game isn’t what they want,’ he adds.

The programme will include a variety of high profile stars including Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford; former Premier League manager Ian Holloway; and Matt Morton, Britain’s highest-ranked openly gay footballer for Thetford FC.

Speaking about the programme, digital commissioner Thomas Pullen said: ‘This important and compelling documentary has been over a year in the making and it’s great that we are finally able to bring it to our audiences on All 4 and Channel 4’s YouTube channel.

‘In the doc, we have spoken to a series of incredibly bold figures from the football industry who have all been open and willing to contribute to this much needed and crucial conversation on LGBTQ+ representation in the one of the most popular sports in the world.

‘I sincerely hope that this documentary can be a springboard for more conversation around a subject that is still deemed taboo by many and by watching this documentary, LGBTQ+ players current and future can feel encouraged to be their most authentic selves in the sport they love.’

Jack Newman, executive producer of Bullion Productions, expressed his hope that discussions around LGBTQ+ representation will continue once viewers have seen the show.

‘Working with Channel 4 and our array of important contributors, we hope that the documentary furthers these conversations and works as a road map for those players who are yet to come out publicly,’ he said.

Football’s Coming Out will launch on All 4 and Channel 4’s YouTube on January 25.