Australian footballer Josh Cavallo, who in 2021 became the only known openly gay top-flight player in the world at the time, has got engaged to his partner, Leighton Morrell, after proposing on the pitch of Adelaide United’s home ground.

Cavallo made international headlines three years ago when he came out publicly, announcing that he was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally comfortable to talk about in my life”.

Related: Young Matildas player Grace Wilson becomes first professional Australian footballer to come out as non-binary

On Thursday Cavallo thanked his A-League club for its support since he came out and his subsequent advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, and for helping to set up the proposal at their home ground of Coopers Stadium.

“You’re endless support has meant so much to me,” Cavallo said of United in his Instagram post announcing the engagement.

“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.

“It felt right to share this special moment on the pitch, where it all started.”

United coach Carl Veart said: “Josh has had some tough times so it’s good to see that he’s got some joy in his life, especially now that he’s got a long term injury.

“We always wish him the best and it’s good to see that he’s happy.

“It’s a big thing for me as a coach that all my players enjoy their football. That’s the number one thing. Josh, since he’s come here, has really enjoyed his football, which has allowed him to be himself.”

Since coming out, Cavallo has been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community but also been targeted by homophobic abuse.

“I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abuse at the game last night,” Cavallo wrote on Instagram after an incident during an A-League match in 2022.

“There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was. As a society this shows we still face these problems in 2022. This shouldn’t be acceptable and we need to do more to hold this [sic] people accountable.

“Hate never will win. I will never apologise for living my truth and most recently who I am outside of football.”

The opposing team, Melbourne Victory, and the Australian Professional Leagues condemned the abuse and offered support to Cavallo.

The A-Leagues last week celebrated its pride round, with Cavallo front and centre of Adelaide United’s campaign.

Cavallo is no longer the only out top-flight footballer after Jake Daniels of Blackpool came out in 2022 and Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto went public that he was gay in February 2023.