Conor Coady: ‘You don’t know what people are going through’

The EFL’s chief executive officer Trevor Birch says “we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong”.

How can the football world help? Coady reiterated his advice to “listen and learn”.

“Listen to people’s stories and listen to what people have gone through,” Coady said.

“I think that’s the biggest way to gain experience and learn about different situations and different spaces people find themselves in.”

The former Wolves, Leicester and Everton player is currently on loan at Championship side Charlton Athletic.

Coady will be watching from the stands as he is unable to face his parent club Wrexham, who visit The Valley on Saturday for the Addicks’ ninth annual Football v Homophobia matchday.

“The players are the ones out there living and breathing the game,” said Gary Ginnaw, the chair of Charlton Invicta, external – the club’s affiliate LGBTQ+ friendly team.

“They’re role models to so many people and they can really impact how society sees LGBTQ+ people.

“To understand the issue that LGBTQ+ people go through in football and in general is massively important.”