Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo hopes his A-League club’s inaugural Pride Games will be a torchbearer for football worldwide.
Cavallo says he’s still stunned by the “crazy” response to him coming out as gay six months ago – the first current male professional footballer to do so.
Cavallo’s Adelaide host Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night, following the women’s team hosting Melbourne Victory in the Liberty A-League, with both fixtures designated by the club as Pride Games in support of LGBT+ communities.
And Cavallo hopes other clubs in Australia and throughout the world follow suit.
“It’s phenomenal, it’s something that I could only dream of happening,” he told reporters on Monday.
“It’s something that hasn’t been done in the A-League before so seeing Adelaide United write their name in the history books, that is pretty impressive … we need more clubs around the world to do the same thing and to ignite this change.
“It’s quite emotional and personal to see that in six months’ time we (United) have already done something like this … it’s mind-blowing.”
Cavallo said messages of support since his coming out haven’t stopped.
“It’s just crazy to see that,” he said.
“And something like this (Pride Game) is just going to evolve the game for the better.
“We have people that are struggling around the world, whether they are sons, daughters or just anyone in general … to see the impact this is having on them is absolutely crazy, so stuff like this is going to change the world for the better.
“Since coming out … the people who have reached out to me – and it’s not just the celebrities, it could be everyday normal people – it still puts a massive smile on my face that I have helped change someone’s life for the better.
“This is bigger than sport. This is bigger than football … and that is something that makes me very proud, that I can help change people’s lives for the better.”
Cavallo didn’t feel burdened by being the first openly gay current men’s footballer.
“When I pressed that post button on my social media, I already knew I won the race,” he said.
“I am only 22 years old and I am really happy right now to be where I am.
“This is a matter of baby steps. Seeing a Pride Game, eventually if we can turn this into a Pride Round and the A-League could get around every team doing it, this is going to be something that changes for the next generation.”
