Leigh Ryswyk

Football career In 2004 Ryswyk played with the Suncoast Lions (later renamed Brisbane Lions) in the QAFL, and represented Queensland against the ACT in Canberra, kicking three goals for the winning side. and was one of only two Queenslanders invited to the AFL Draft Camp.

A quad strain led to his being sidelined for 8 weeks, and he was delisted at the end of the season.

In an interview with Melbourne community radio station JOY 94.9 on 25 March 2026, Ryswyk came out as gay, making him the first former AFL player to do so. (Seven months earlier, former West Coast Eagles player Mitch Brown had came out as bisexual.) Speaking on radio afterwards, he said that he had received overwhelming support since coming out. He said that the time was not right for him to come out during his AFL career, adding "while AFL clubs and the AFL community would largely be supportive of queer players, crowd behaviour could be a factor in why many did not feel comfortable being openly gay". Brisbane Lions and North Adelaide Football Club both released statements of support.

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