Former Brisbane Lions player Leigh Ryswyk has become the first male AFL player, past or present, to publicly reveal that he is gay.
Ryswyk, who played one match for the Lions back in 2005, shared the news on the GayFL show on radio station JOY 94.9 on Wednesday, saying he had been out to his friends for five years but decided now was the time to reveal his identity publicly.
“To people who know me, my closest friends, this is not new. I’ve been out for five years now. There will be people though, if they do listen to this, it will be the first time they know about this. I’m a very private person, so it’s not all over my social media and things like that,” Ryswyk said.
“It can be a bit of a shock to some people, they might not know, but that’s life right? In the end, the people who are nearest and closest to me know, and that’s what’s most important,” he added.
When asked what prompted the revelation, Ryswyk said “why not?”, adding that “things need to change in sport, especially in men’s sport”.
Originally from Victoria, Ryswyk moved to Queensland at the start of his AFL career and was added to the Brisbane Lions squad for the 2005 season.
He was delisted at the end of that season after suffering a quad strain, but later moved to South Australia to play more than 200 matches for North Adelaide in the SANFL.
Ryswyk, who is also an AFL Queensland Football Hall of Fame inductee, said his parents were supportive of him, but revealed it took him three years to share the news to his family.
“It took me a little while where I was comfortable enough to do this, probably a three-year period to be honest, so there was a lot of the mental side of things going through at the same time,” he said.
When asked about current AFL players, Ryswyk said AFL fans “will wrap their arms around” anyone who comes out, if they choose to do so.
“I think the community itself, obviously the queer community, the fan base, I think in the whole they will celebrate that when the time comes,” he said.
Ryswyk’s decision follows that of ex-West Coast Eagles player Mitch Brown, who revealed he was bisexual in late 2025 and became the league’s first openly bisexual player.
Brown — who has become an advocate for addressing homophobia in the AFL — reacted to Ryswyk’s news on social media, offering his fellow player his “deepest respect and congratulations”.
“It takes real courage to step forward and choose to live openly and honestly, especially when you come from environments that haven’t always made that easy. This is what bravery looks like. Every time someone is brave enough to speak their truth, it creates a shift,” Brown wrote.
“This is what bravery looks like. Every time someone is brave enough to speak their truth, it creates a shift,” he added.
Fellow AFL player Oleg Markov said the news was “amazing”, while sports presenter Ollie Geale exclaimed “YES!!!”.
Elsewhere, AJ Ogilvy, who became the second-ever NBL player to come out as gay in January, said Ryswyk’s bravery “will change the world for the next generation”.
“I know the community will show you endless love and support. So glad that you felt comfortable to share your story,” Ogilvy wrote on social media.
At the time of writing, neither the AFL nor Ryswyk’s former teams have responded to the news.
Last month, Brown told PEDESTRIAN.TV that being the first bisexual AFL player “isn’t a burden, it’s a privilege”.
Lead images: Instagram and Fox Sports
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