Joshua Cavallo, Australia’s first active male professional footballer to come out as gay, said he is engaged following an on-pitch proposal to his partner at Adelaide United‘s home ground.
Cavallo, who came out as gay in 2021, thanked the A-league club for helping him set up the surprise in a post on X.
“Your endless support has meant so much to me. You have provided a safe space in football, one that I never in my dreams thought could ever be possible, and encouraged me to live everyday of my life authentically,” Cavallo wrote.
“It felt right to share this special moment on the pitch, where it all started.”
Upon coming out in October 2021, Cavallo said he was done with feeling ashamed about his sexuality and the exhaustion of trying to live a “double-life.”
“I’m a footballer and I’m gay,” he said on a video posted on Adelaide’s social media, drawing support from fellow professionals across the world. “All I want to do is play football and be treated equally.”
In January 2022, Cavallo called out anti-gay abuse directed at him during an A-League draw with Melbourne Victory, saying he had “no words” to describe his disappointment.
“I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abuse at the game last night,” Cavallo said on Instagram. “There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was.
“This shouldn’t be acceptable and we need to do more to hold people accountable.
“I will never apologise for living my truth and most recently who I am outside of football.”