The UK's Football Association says its efforts to reach out to gay footballers have come up blank.

Earlier this year, FA Chairman Greg Clarke announced he was actively seeking out closeted players and offering them support in coming out publicly. Now Clarke admits he hasn't been able to find a single gay player.

“I’ve met a lot of gay activists, gay publishers. I went down to Stonewall, watched a game, had a beer in the bar afterwards—and talked about the issues," he told The Telegraph. "At the semi-pro level and below, nobody’s worried. I haven’t met one player at professional level who would even agree to meet me in the middle of nowhere for a conversation over a cup of coffee. Not one."

Clarke says he doesn't blame them—if anything he feels guilty. "If they don’t feel comfortable having that conversation, it doesn’t say good things about our game.”

Clarke claims the FA is desperate to make soccer more LGBT-inclusive, but admits they "haven’t yet won the trust of the professional gay players."

"I’ve reached out. I’ve seen athletes, swimmers, divers, I’ve gone everywhere," he said. "And they’ve shared their views with me. I’ve said, ‘Why won’t gay footballers meet me?.' They’ve all said, ‘I don’t know because I don’t know any gay footballers.' They’re very deeply buried.”

There have been a few out professional footballers—Liam Davis (who is semi-pro), Thomas Hitzlsperger (who came out after retiring), and Robbie Rogers (who plays in the States.) Swedish defender Anton Hysen is the only openly gay soccer player in Europe—and only the second ever to come out while still playing. Justin Fashanu was the first to come out, in 1990. He was taunted mercilessly, accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old, and was disowned by his family.

In 1998, Fashanu committed suicide.

Despite gains in acceptance and visibility since then, professional football retains its homophobic atmosphere, where even straight players get taunted with slurs. Other players and coaches have gone on the record to say they wouldn't support a gay teammate, In 2012, agent Max Clifford said he had actively discouraged several gay players from coming out for the sake of their careers.

Things are changing for the better, though: In August Ryan Atkin became the FA's first openly gay referee. And while teams once steadfastly avoided aligning themselves with LGBT causes, more and more teams are participating in Pride events and anti-homophobia campaigns.

The likely reason players aren't coming out is the fans, not team owners or endorsements. But FIFA, soccer's international governing body, has begun cracking down on homophobic chants, and LGBT fan clubs like the Gay Gooners and The Proud Lilywhites are working to make stadiums more inclusive and safe for everyone.

“Why would you sign up for that potential risk if it’s working for you, if you’re happy?" Clarke said. "You might think, ‘Why do I need to share my sexuality with anybody?' I respect that. Where I worry is that there may be people who want to be openly gay but don’t feel able to. If they do, they should be comfortable, accepted and supported.”