Tributes Flow For Out Gay Footy Player And HIV Advocate Matt Hall

Former Australian rules football player and HIV advocate Matthew Hall passed away on Monday night, aged 51.

In 2002, Hall became the first Aussie-rules footballer to come out as gay. Four years earlier, Hall was banned by the  Victorian Amateur Football Association because of his HIV-positive status. He successfully challenged the ban in court. 

“We are deeply saddened by the news of Matthew Hall’s sudden passing… Matt was a passionate and devoted HIV advocate,” Queensland Positive People said in a post on social media. 

A Powerful Legacy

Matt grew up in Reservoir, a suburb near Melbourne, and was an elite junior sportsperson, in both basketball and AFL. He was diagnosed with HIV when he was 23 while he was travelling around Europe. “I was told I would be dead within 5 years,” Hall said in a 2017 post. 

Hall moved back to Australia and sought to register with the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). In 1998, VAF denied his application and banned him from playing the game. He took VAFA to court, and the decision was overturned. 

“Undeterred by the discrimination he was subjected to, Matt challenged their ruling, with the support of HIV specialist Dr Darren Russell, and by 1999, he had won, winning the hearts, and changing the minds of the football-loving Victorians along the way. The changes to the ‘blood rule’ that occurred due to Matt’s case, are a legacy not just for AFL, but to many sporting codes throughout the world,” said QPP. 

Working To Eliminate Stigma

Hall moved to Queensland, where he was a crisis counsellor for Lifeline, a BeyondBlue Ambassador and President of QPP. 

“His positive impact on the HIV community continued here too. He was always working to eliminate stigma and confront injustice where he found it, whilst supporting those in need, working for a period as a crisis counsellor for Lifeline,” said QPP. “Together with his work on the Positive Speakers Bureau, his impact on QPP and our community is profound.”

“Matt loved to travel, especially to Paris. He cherished cooking for his friends and to entertain, and in his spare time would often be found walking along the beach near his home on the Gold Coast,” said QPP.

Vale, Matthew Hall.