Trailblazing gay soccer player surprised to be suddenly cut by his team
Andy Brennan was the first male pro soccer player in Australia to come out as gay. He’s now leaving South Melbourne FC. Where to next? The post Trailblazing gay soccer player surprised to be suddenly cut by his team appeared first on Outsports.
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Gay pro soccer player Andy Brennan has told Outsports of his disappointment at being let go by South Melbourne FC, just days before the club embarks on an exciting new chapter.
The 32-year-old winger, who made Australian soccer history in 2019 when he came out publicly as gay, shared the news of his release on his social media accounts.
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The club will kick off the inaugural Australian Championship this coming Friday. The Championship is a second-tier tournament which has been billed as a significant step forward for men’s soccer Down Under.
Brennan was expecting to be a part of the South Melbourne squad that would take part in the new competition, having played more than 20 games in the NPL Victoria league and Australia Cup in 2025.
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He had been training with his teammates for the last few weeks, but last Friday he was faced with the “heartbreaking” situation of telling them he is leaving.
It brings to a close a near four-year stint with South, with Brennan having also had two shorter spells there, in 2015 and 2018. In total, he has made more than 100 appearances for the club.
In a post on Instagram, Brennan wrote: “For the third and final time, I say goodbye to South Melbourne FC — It is by no means the ending I thought I was going to get, nor what I wished or had hoped for.
“Notwithstanding that, I’m so grateful to the many special individuals that have become a part of my life, either in a small or large way, in passing or ongoing.
“Thank you to those people, that includes all SM fans who’ve shown amazing support. You’ve all helped make my time at South special and treasurable, and for that, I am one content and truly grateful man.”
When contacted by Outsports, Brennan explained that his coaches had informed him that he would not be included in the Souths squad list they needed to submit for the start of the Australian Championship.
The news was “super tough” to take, he admitted.
At the time of writing, South Melbourne FC had not yet confirmed his departure in a statement or official communication to supporters.
Update: The club responded to an email enquiry from Outsports, saying it would release a statement “soon” and that a presentation to Brennan would be organized to recognize his “amazing career.”
Andy Brennan has provided important gay representation in pro soccer
Brennan, who is from Tasmania, got his big break in 2015 when he was snapped up from Souths by A-League team Newcastle Jets.
However, he was hit by a series of injury problems and ended up leaving two years later by mutual consent, dropping down a level to continue playing.
He was with another Melbourne club, Green Gully, when he came out as gay via an Instagram post and a powerful personal blog for PFA Australia, the players’ union.
Brennan was 26 at the time and explained how coming out to friends, family, teammates and coaches had brought him great happiness and comfort, after years of fear and uncertainty as he grappled with his sexuality.
American midfielder Collin Martin, who had come out as gay in MLS the previous year, was the only other out player in the men’s pro game anywhere else in the world at that time.
After a flurry of global media interest, Brennan was able to focus on on-field matters once again. He played for another Melbourne team, Hume City, either side of a spell back home with South Hobart, and also took on more advocacy work and public speaking opportunities before signing for South Melbourne in late 2021.
Around the same time, Josh Cavallo became the first active A-League player to come out as gay when he worked with his club Adelaide United to share his personal news in a powerful video message.
Meanwhile, at South Melbourne, Brennan became a much-loved and valued teammate, helping the club twice top the final league standings as premiers, reach the national Australia Cup semifinals in 2024, and lift the state Dockerty Cup in consecutive years.
In recent times, alongside playing for South, he has been studying for a doctorate in sports psychology.
On an episode of the Football v Homophobia Podcast recorded last year, he described how shame remains a “huge issue” for men’s soccer players who are struggling with their sexuality.
He was inspired in large part to pursue psychology because of his own experiences in the game, wanting to help not just young players but anyone who can relate to him.
“The older you get, having that feeling that you’re living a lie and wasting time by not being able to live who you are — it’s a real shame that’s still happening,” he said.
He currently works part-time as a club psychologist at Melbourne City, one of the two A-League teams in the city.
As for his future on the field, Brennan has told Outsports he is as yet undecided but is open to the prospect of playing for another club.
After a period of time in which there were several examples of out gay and bi men playing pro soccer, the representation has dropped markedly in recent months.
In May, Jake Daniels was released by English pro club Blackpool; later that month, Cavallo left Adelaide United; while in June, Jakub Jankto’s contract at Italian Serie A team Cagliari expired.
Jankto has since announced that his pro career is over, while Cavallo moved to England, signing for sixth-tier club Peterborough Sports FC.
Meanwhile, Martin is in the second year of a two-year contract with North Carolina FC in the USL Championship, although he has been sidelined since July due to injury.
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The post Trailblazing gay soccer player surprised to be suddenly cut by his team appeared first on Outsports.
