The British, fourth man in the Premier League: “People know I’m gay and accept it. Many do not come out because they fear it will ruin their careers, but that’s not the case “
Fourth man in the Premier League, referee in the Championship, the Englishman James Adcock chose the Coming out day to reveal: “People know I’m gay and accept it: I’m lucky for that”. Over 500 matches refereed in his career, the 37-year-old has followed a career that has taken him from the amateur level to the top and shared his experience on the BBC’s LGBT sports podcast. Son of a referee, physical education teacher, Adcock found his way into football: “My whole life has revolved around sport and fitness. I started to follow in my father’s footsteps ”.
Fourth man
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Since 2016 he has been Select Group 2 of the Efl, becoming a full-time referee, as well as fourth man in the Premier League. As a child of the 80s and 90s, Adcock was used to hearing the same phrases: People who loved sports couldn’t also be gay. He eventually came out at 27, but his experiences in football were only positive. “Now all my colleagues know that. There was interest, there was someone who told me: I’m proud of you James, that you are able to be openly gay in sports, because they know that there are still barriers to break down. But I have never been the victim of homophobic insults ”.
The challenge
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After Ryan Atkin, who came out in 2017, Adcock is the UK’s highest level referee to speak out publicly about his sexuality, he is now trying to help those who might find themselves in a similar situation. “Many referees think they can’t come out because it could affect your career,” he said. “But you are not judged by your sexuality and if you are confident enough, you will have all the support of every colleague and it will not affect you. Declaring yourself gay or not declaring yourself gay is a choice you have to make as a person, not as a referee ”. After some physical problems, Adcock is back to referee in the Championship and hopes that talking publicly about his sexuality will not change the way he is viewed when he takes the field for a Football League game. “Treat me as you would treat anyone else – he said – You are there as a fan, player or coach and you judge me on my performance. This is what I am judged on. I am not a referee because I am gay, but only because I am a referee: treat me like a normal human being ”.
11 October – 09:45 am
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