Josh Cavallo says he’s mentoring closeted athletes and footballers ‘happy to come out next year’
“To have that safe space with me, with strangers I don’t even know, it’s incredible," says Cavallo
By Aaron Sugg
Josh Cavallo revealed that he mentors many closeted athletes, from Olympians to footballers, and said some are happy to come out in the next year.
Cavallo, the first openly gay male top-tier footballer, who came out in 2021, is using his platform to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, appeared on Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast yesterday (2 December).
Speaking to the Celebs Go Dating guru, Cavallo discussed how publicly announcing his sexuality has encouraged other sportsmen to confide in him.
“I help mentor a lot of closeted athletes” – Josh Cavallo reveals he helps closeted athletes
“So I help mentor a lot of closeted athletes, a lot of Olympians, a lot of football players who aren’t out and don’t want to be out,” he said.
Reflecting on his own journey, Cavallo said he is grateful for his experience, though he stressed that not everyone wants to be as open as he is, due to the fear of homophobia in sport.
“Not everyone wants to do Josh Cavallo’s journey. They’re happy to go about their life and keep it separate from their everyday life,” the footballer added.
“They’re happy to come out next year” – Cavallo reveals that his mentees openness vary
He spoke about the different sorts of closeted athletes he mentors, stressing that each one is unique: “They’re happy to come out next year, or in ten years’ time, or they just don’t want to come out at all.”
“To have that safe space with me, with strangers I don’t even know, it’s incredible, because I couldn’t do that,” Cavallo reflected.
Jake Daniels also featured in the podcast episode. The first active, openly gay male footballer in the UK thanked Cavallo for mentoring him when he came out.
“You helped me every single day without you knowing” – Jake Daniels on Cavallo’s mentorship
In a heartfelt video message, which made Cavallo emotional, Daniels praised the 26-year-old former Attitude cover star “for how thankful I am for you”.
“You helped me every single day without you knowing, and not just me; you’ve helped so many people across the globe,” he added.
Given football’s heteronormative culture, Daniels said Cavallo made him feel more comfortable in the game: “You helped me so much, made me feel more comfortable within myself, and especially within football.”
The Australian footballer has made a big change in his career this year, moving to the UK with his fiancé, Leighton Morrell, and signing with Peterborough Sports.
As well as this, he is also moving into film production. Cavallo has joined the production team of Armour, a new series starring Jordan Luke Gage about the fallout from a Premier League footballer coming out, and will be advising Gage in his role.
Currently, there is no official release date for the series, with filming expected to start next Spring.
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