Jake Williamson

Jake Williamson is a hybrid athlete who uses sport to build a positive community and encourage others to take part in various sporting adventures. A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Jake believes that him opening up about his personal experience as a gay member of the sports community will help future generations have a better experience of coming out than he did. He is currently the Founder of BTND (Better The Next Day), an online and in-person wellbeing space. He has also served as a Personal Trainer at the MK Health Hub previously

Fascinated by football from a young age, Jake always knew he wanted to pursue the field, and started playing semi-professionally at the age of 16. After obtaining a BA in Geography from Coventry University, he played for a Polish football team. Ever since he was young, Jake felt the undue pressure of feeling like he does not fit in with his peers, due to his sexuality.  However, he decided to make the brave decision to come out at the age of 21.

In an interview with BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast, Jake spoke about being a gay footballer for the first time. Unfortunately, he was met with an unfavourable response from his teammates who proceeded to shut him out from the team. While this upset him, Jake is now using his platform to share his story, in hopes that future generations do not have the same experience as him.

In 2023, Jake became Sports Ambassador for Stonewall and has taken it upon himself to unearth the root cause of why men’s football continues to be a difficult place for people to come out and live authentically. Motivated to use sports as a means to build a positive community, Jake hopes to encourage others in the LGBT community to pursue sports. Jake is now available to speak at a wide range of events, sharing his unique story and journey. So go ahead and book him today!