Footballer Matt Morton comes out as gay

Thetford Town FC player and manager Matt Morton spoke candidly about his sexuality for the first time in an interview with Sky Sports on National Coming Out Day. The 33-year-old described himself as a ‘typical alpha-male footballer’ and said he didn’t realise his sexuality until he was in his thirties after he met a man in 2018. Morton continued: “It felt very surreal to me, but at the same time it felt very natural. I didn’t have that Disney romance at any point with any of the girls that I dated.”

He explained his difficulties coming out to his parents and friends, but said they now have a stronger relationship. Morton also spoke about his experience of being a gay man who doesn’t fit many people’s stereotype of what he should look like, saying “none of it fits, which forces people out of their preconceived ideas of what a gay person is, and what an old-school footballer is.”

He hopes that sharing his story will encourage more LGBTQ+ inclusivity in sports: “Everyone was saying to me that you don’t need to announce it or explain yourself. I’m aware of that, but I wanted to own it, and say, ‘this is me, this is what I’ve realised’. It’s a lot better than it was 10 years ago, but there still needs to be activation around understanding, and events like Pride, because there’s still a long way to go.”