- Josh Cavallo proposes at Coopers Stadium
- First openly gay Australian footballer engaged
- Celebrates with Instagram post
The 24-year-old Adelaide United footballer commended the Australian A-league club for assisting him in coordinating the proposal at an empty Coopers Stadium, where he posted a series of photographs to Instagram.
Josh Cavallo, who became the first homosexual male professional footballer in Australia in 2021, proposed to his partner, Leighton Morrell, on the pitch at the home stadium of Adelaide United. The couple is now engaged.
International attention was captured on a global scale when the 24-year-old footballer came out openly in an emotional video, stating, “I must share something personal with you all: I am gay, and I am a football player.”
He said he was tired of living a “double life” and had been battling his sexuality for over six years at the time.
He hailed the Australian A-league club in an Instagram post on Thursday for assisting him in organizing the surprise proposal.
“Your endless support has meant so much to me,” he indicated.
“By creating a safe space in football, which I never in my wildest imaginations imagined possible, you have inspired me to live every day with integrity.
It was fitting to commemorate this momentous occasion on the pitch, the epicenter of everything.
A series of photographs depicting the engagement at an empty Coopers Stadium were included in the post; one featured Cavallo on one knee and Morrell with his hands on his forehead.
An additional photograph captures Cavallo once more standing and giggling.
A third black-and-white photograph depicts a member of the couple holding the engagement ring in their palms.
“Take a step towards financial freedom – claim your free Webull shares now!”
Although only a limited number of elite athletes have come out as homosexual while still competing, Jake Daniels did so at Blackpool, approximately seven months after Cavallo.
He declared that after “such a long time of lying” about his identity, he was prepared to “be myself.”
The declaration of his homosexuality last year by Czech international Jakub Jankto, who plays for Serie A club Cagliari in Italy, has made him the most prominent male footballer at the moment.
