Referee Ryan Atkin has spoken to Sky Sports about his life and experiences as a gay man working in football, making him the sport’s first publicly ‘out’ professional official in the UK.
The 32-year-old says his decision to share his story – described as “an important moment” for the sport by the Football Association’s Head of Senior Referee Development, Neale Barry – has been prompted by the recent strengthening of commitments made by the game’s governing bodies to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion.