Former player and equality expert Kieron Brady speaks with EWM in this week’s UNDISCLOSED interview, revealing his beliefs of how ‘football has failed’ Robbie Rogers following the USA international’s decision to ‘step away’ from football after announcing he is gay.

Despite leading stars in various other sports publicly coming out, there remained just two players before Rogers to do so within professional football, and only one of them was English.

Brady, who spent the majority of his own playing career with Sunderland, was inspired by his experiences within the game to found an organisation to tackle and educate on all discrimination within football.

Although pleased that Rogers – who finished his career in England at Leeds United – has found the strength to come out, Brady believes that his decision to discontinue playing is a reflection on football not creating a ‘welcoming environment’ for gay players, showing ‘negligence’.

Justin Fashanu remains the only professional footballer within Britain to publicly come out as a gay player. Tragically, eight years later, the former England under-21 international took his own life at, aged 37.

Still, 23 years on, Brady doesn’t believe football has progressed in making substantial strides in eradicating ‘illnesses’ and prejudices such as homophobia. Although governing bodies are reported to have offered support to Rogers – whether he hangs up his boots permanently or not – Brady admits he’s been left ‘enraged from an equality perspective’ to see Rogers seemingly feel as though stepping away from the sport is his only alternative to move forward.

Statistics show a staggering 98% of footballers never play past the age of 25. If Robbie Rogers decides not to return to football, he will join that list.

Brady has urged football to ‘double their efforts’ in making substantial, long-term effects in ensuring players’ welfare by eradicating homophobia – which he claims ‘has taken an early lead’.

Although up until now a largely unprecedented circumstance within game, Brady believes it’s the game’s ‘responsibility to wider society’ to build a more welcoming environment for players to feel free to come out to without fearing any discrimination.

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Former Plymouth Argyle player Blair Sturrock speaks with EWM in this week’s UNDISCLOSED interview, who reveals the mentality of a dressing-room towards Depression.

Sturrock, the son of manager, Paul, admits his Psychological health worsened during his time within football, with Depression and anxiety beginning to dominate his professional and personal life.

Speaking exclusively with EWM, Sturrock reveals – being the son of a manager – his constant battle to prove himself to his supporters and teammates, which often left him isolated.

Sturrock believes an old mentality towards Depression remains within football, and hopes to see more outlets made available to players across the leagues to seek guidance over fears and concerns.

Sturrock discusses the culture within football of how and why players may fall into addictions, using alcohol or gambling for example as coping mechanisms for stress or anxiety.

In the final segment of the interview, Sturrock admits players may be able to avoid difficulties or at least manage them if they are educated in how to do so from a young age.

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Former Premier League record-signing Dave Kitson speaks with EWM in this week’s UNDISCLOSED interview, revealing for the first time the reasons why it took him 18 competitive games to hit the back of the net for Stoke City, which in the process almost cost him his career and family.

Kitson, who’s since joined League One Sheffield United on a free transfer, moved from southern England for the first time in his career in 2008, leaving Reading for Stoke City for a reported record fee of £5.5million.

Having previously made a seamless transition from non-league football to the Madejski Stadium – where he scored an impressive 54 goals in 135 appearances – the striker however failed to net in his opening 18 competitive games for the Potters.

With this being an exciting chapter in both his career and life, Kitson moved his wife and baby north with him. But despite only travelling three hours up the M6 to a club in a country where he’s grown up and played in his entire life, Kitson believes his decision to essentially enter for him what was the unknown ultimately cost him his career at the Britannia, with his family isolated and he himself returning to his former club Reading on loan just months later, as he explains exclusively to EWM:

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The Centre is founded at Southampton Solent University as a leading provider of football related academic studies in the United Kingdom.

It has been tough leaving my country (South Africa) at the age of 17 to come to Germany and to Holland, but the good thing is that I went to Holland and I used to live with a Dutch family before moving on and living by myself and that’s the way forward. As African players, I would say that we have a strong mentality. But it’s quite important that when you get to England, it’s important you get to know the culture of people. The most important thing as a youngster is to live with a group and English family so you are able to get the proper mentality of the country where you’re at. And that’s exactly what I’ve done.

You can’t do nothing really; if you don’t speak the same language as someone it’s difficult for even the simple things – like asking for water. If you don’t speak the same language then how are you going to ask?

It was really hard. I think that is the most important thing when you come to a different country – the language is the most difficult thing.

You can’t have a friend, really, because if you go out with them, how are you going to talk to them? Even if they have a joke, you can’t understand. So sometimes you prefer to stay at home on your own. It’s not nice, but if you don’t speak English, how are you going to enjoy your time?

Maybe these players haven’t moved before, maybe they’re a 22-year-old boy who’s lived at home for the first 22 years of his life, and then all of a sudden he gets this wonderful deal into the Premier League and moves to a different area, and he has the family to think about. And if he’s got no girlfriend or no wife, you’ve got the parents to think about then.

Yes it can be as big a risk as what a foreign loan can be or transfer can be. But at the same time, there is an element of risk in any transfer.”

“I’ve stumbled upon a number of unsettled players and you find out the reason; the reason can be minimal with regards to your own life. It just may be the fact that they don’t how to get a TV or they don’t know how to open a bank account, or something as trivial as that to you, it’s very important to them. In terms of you’re only at the football club for 2 or 3 hours a day and then you’re going home to an empty house and maybe no family, and that emptiness is the part that unsettles him, and it’s the part that doesn’t allow them to play the football which you know they can play.