Leigh Ryswyk, a former professional player in the Australian Football League (AFL), has publicly announced that he is gay, making him the first male player from the league to do so. The retired athlete shared his story during an interview on the radio show GayFL on March 25.
For readers in the Netherlands, the AFL is Australia's premier competition for Australian rules football, a physically demanding sport with a significant cultural following. Much like professional football in Europe, its top male leagues have historically lacked openly LGBTQ+ players, making Ryswyk's announcement a notable moment for visibility in sport.
A Private Journey Made Public
Ryswyk explained that while his announcement is new to the public, he has been out to his close friends and family for the past five years. "I’m a very private person, so it’s not all over my social media, and things like that, and that’s fine," he told the radio program. "In the end, the people who are nearest and closest to me know, and that’s what’s most important.”
He described the personal process of coming out as a significant one, particularly when telling 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, adding that his parents were very supportive upon hearing the news.
Career and the Path Forward
Ryswyk's professional career began with the Brisbane Lions in 2005. After being delisted due to injury, he went on to play 226 games in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) before retiring in 2018. His contributions to the sport were later recognized with an induction into the AFL Queensland Football Hall of Fame.
While Ryswyk is the first AFL player to come out as gay, he follows former player Mitch Brown, who came out as bisexual in 2025 after his retirement. To date, no active male AFL player has come out as LGBTQ+.
Ryswyk expressed optimism for the future, believing the environment is ready to support an active player who decides to come out. "I think the AFL, and the community, will wrap their arms around that player," he stated. "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.”
