Josh Cavallo on moving to the UK, fatherhood, and facing hate in public: ‘I want to show everyone what I’m about’ (EXCLUSIVE)
"I think definitely both of us would love to be fathers in the near future," the footballer tells Attitude of himself and his fiancé Leighton Morrell
By Aaron Sugg
Josh Cavallo, Australian footballer, global game-changer, and former Attitude cover star and Attitude Awards ‘Man of the Year’ 2022 made global headlines in 2021 as the first openly gay male top-tier footballer. Four years later he is beginning a new chapter in the UK, the first time he has ever swapped professional football teams. Now signed to Peterborough Sports, Cavallo and his fiancé Leighton Morrell are settling in for a UK “trial run.”
Speaking exclusively to Attitude, Cavallo opened up about the next steps in his relationship, inspiring young fans, and the time he was hailed homophobic abuse at by a man at a petrol station.
“My home is on the other side of the world, but the change has been tremendous”
Speaking about his move to the UK, Cavallo says how it is one of his favourite nations, and somewhere he’d always hoped to spend more time. “I’ve been a footballer in Australia for almost 11 years now,” he says of his next chapter. “I was also a professional for seven years before coming out. So I’ve been in the game a while, and it felt like I was waiting for the right moment to make a change.”
The move to Peterborough Sports, where the 25-year-old has secured a one year contract, is for him more than just about his sexuality, which defined his career with Adelaide United. “This is the time where I want to show everyone what Josh Cavallo is about as a footballer, not just what I do off the field.”
Despite offers from around the world, the decision to join Peterborough Sports was built on the team’s values. “It wasn’t just about looking at the highest level I could play at or the best quality on paper,” he says. “There’s a lot more I have to consider. What’s the coach like? What are the teammates like? What’s the changing room environment? Is it safe for someone like me?”
Comparing the UK to countries like Russia and Italy, where people are continuously targeted under anti-LGBTQ+ laws, Cavallo is vocal on Russia’s imprisoning of queer people for up to four years for simple transgressions, such as displaying a Pride flag on social media. “Something like that is absolutely astonishing to me. It blows my mind,” says Cavallo. “The amount of disrespect our community gets from some countries, it’s like we’re being treated as aliens.”
“Both of us have dreamed of living in the UK, it’s where we want to raise a family and build our lives”
Highlighting initial concerns about moving abroad, he said the move took a great deal of consideration. “Moving here was quite daunting at first. My home is on the other side of the world, but the change has been tremendous. I can’t say a bad word about this football club. It’s really, really surprised me in the best way.”
He’s not alone in this move. His fiancé Leighton Morrell has made the journey, too, as the couple test out what Cavallo calls a “trial run” of life in the UK. “Both of our dreams have been to live in the UK and that’s somewhere where we want to raise our family so I guess this is for us, the trial period. And after that, we’ll decide whether we want to extend or stay permanently.”
Friends gave Cavallo some quite specific advice. “I just got told so many times to bring wellies, and I was like, ‘Guys, what is wellies?’, I was like, ‘What? Willy?’ and they are like, ‘No!’ I had to look it up!”
“I actually chased him online! He thought my profile was fake and blocked me”
The pair’s relationship began in a moment fit for a gay romcom: “Neither of us knew much about each other at first. I actually chased him online. He thought my profile was fake and blocked me. Then he saw me on TV, realised who I was, and messaged me back: ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ It was such a sweet way to meet.”
Cavallo went on to recall the first time the couple met in person at Bali Airport, after months of speaking online, following a spontaneous decision to make their first in-person meet up a holiday. “I had a tap on my shoulder while I was getting my baggage, and I turned around and it was him… I think that was the first moment I was just like, ‘Oh my God. He’s, like, perfect. The most perfect guy ever. Wow.’ I was like fuzzy.”
“I think definitely both of us would love to be fathers in the near future”
Cavallo spoke about wanting to start a family, but not before planting his football boots firmly on UK soil first. “Leighton wants a family yesterday and he’s ready. He’s at a different point in his life. So he’s 35 and I’m 25,” says Cavallo, relaying how football offers a short window of opportunity. “So, I said to him, give me like five more years and then after that we can kind of reassess and see.”
While the baby date might be TBC, they’ve already had the conversation about how they plan it to happen: surrogacy, twins, and maybe one child each. “We would go through surrogacy and do that. We want to have one each, so we’ll kind of go down that road. But there are so many things that we’re not educated on in that field that I need to get up to date with if it’s something we really want to consider. But yeah, I think definitely both of us would love to be fathers in the near future, for sure.”
“It’s incredible how the younger generation sees it as a superpower”
When it comes to being a positive example for younger generations, one moment that stands out for Cavallo happened at a shop in his hometown Adelaide. “I was in the chocolate aisle, and this little kid, maybe nine, did a double take. He said, ‘Oh my God, you’re the person that was the first to come out!’ Then he ran off to get his mum and told her, ‘This is Josh! He’s the first gay footballer.’”
The encounter filled Cavallo with an abundance of love. “His mum pulled me aside and said that he feels like he identifies in my bracket. When my story came out, he showed it to them. It’s incredible how the younger generation sees it as a superpower, like it’s something cool. That moment will always stay with me.”
“He started saying violent things about where I deserved to have a corner flag put”
But not all encounters have been positive. “There was one moment that really scared me,” he recalls. “I was at a petrol station, filling up my car, when a man pulled up behind me and recognised me. He started saying violent things about where I deserved to have a corner flag put.”
It was one of the rare moments where hate turned physical. “Most of the abuse I’ve received is online, but this was in person, and it was terrifying. I was alone.” Reflecting on the tense situation, the midfielder continues, “I was shaken. But I have a strong inner circle that helps me process moments like that. I don’t accept it, but I’ve learned it’s sometimes part of the reality.”
His message to the man: “Grow up.”
“It’s really sad, because it could easily be his son, grandson, or granddaughter who identifies with the same community we do,” adds Cavallo. “That’s what makes it even more shameful, that people are still acting out and holding onto the belief that this isn’t natural, or that we’re not supposed to be who we are.”
And while football is his job, tennis was actually Cavallo’s first sporting love. “I started football late. I started playing at 13, which in that world is really late,” he says. “I was originally a tennis player, it was one of my first passions. Honestly, I loved it more than football. My mum was a tennis player, and I absolutely loved that, so I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”
“I nearly fainted. Ru was just so down-to-earth and so beautiful”
Fated for football, pushing forward in the sport was the best decision Cavallo made, and has resulted in him becoming a role model for countless fans. Praise came from across the globe, with the world of entertainment was equally on-side. One of the most affirming moments of his journey came when he appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under in 2023. “The way [Ru] leads the way, she was one of the first to represent her community, and how she inspires generations of people, that’s something I wanted to do in the football field.”
Meeting Ru was emotional, especially growing up without a visible out gay footballer: “It was really hard for me to find someone I could look up to. And for me, that was RuPaul.”
Recalling that encounter the arguably the world’s most famous drag queen, he describes it as like “meeting god.”
“I nearly fainted. Ru was just so down-to-earth and so beautiful, and took the time to talk to me and tell me that what I’m doing on the football field is similar to what she created in the drag industry.”
“They were there for me when I needed them and I want to do the exact same thing for the next person”
Away from the glitz and back on the pitch, Cavallo continues to use his platform to champion LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport, and that extends to supporting women in football. On the Lionesses winning the Women’s European cup he says how “they should be incredibly proud of themselves,” and highlights Lucy Bronze’s inspiring role in the final. “There was one player… she fractured her leg, and then at the end of it, she was jumping up and dancing. I was like, ‘Girl, you’re crazy!’ It was mind-blowing.”
As those within football continue to drive progress, how the sport is affected by the shifting political landscape remains a question mark. In light of Donald Trump’s return to presidency, Cavallo says hesitantly how “it has affected a lot in the footballing world,” recalling an “uproar” of love and support when he came out four years ago. Today, he says he feels as if spectators “look at us as kind of like outsiders or monsters.”
In spite of this, Cavallo remains determined to bring his advocacy to the forefront of the game. “For me, doing what I’m doing and seeing the joy it brings out in people; I get a lot of joy out of advocating for my community,” he says defiantly. “They were there for me when I needed them and I want to do the exact same thing for the next person.”