Manchester's Australian Rules Football stars

The Mosquitoes have English, Australian, Irish, Scottish and Zimbabwean players

With even Louis Oosthuizen, the South African golfer who won the Open, based in Manchester, you'd think there is no sport at which the city doesn't excel.

That theory is born out by the appearance of Australian Rules Football club, Manchester Mosquitoes, in their first major final.

Club president Kat Wheeler said she has "an enormous sense of pride when I look how far we've come."

The team are based at Burnage RUFC and have been in existence for five years.

The Mosquitoes formed as what Kat called "a 'kick-about club' in South Manchester", made up of Mancunians and Australians who were looking for a local game.

She said the team now has "an even split between local and expat players and we also have Irish, Scottish and Zimbabwean members."

MANCHESTER MOSQUITOES Formed in 2005 Played first competitive game in 2006 and finished third in their inaugural season Named after the 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron's WWII plane, the De Havilland Mosquito

Kat is one of the Australian contingent and she got involved at the very beginning, seeing the club get progressively bigger with each passing year.

"Many Aussie ex-pats living in Manchester and English lads who had seen the game in Australia used to meet in a park in Chorlton for a kick.

"I used to go along to watch and convinced my English husband to have a go.

"We had sufficient numbers for a team and it was decided to enter a team into the British league."

That decision was a major one given that, at the time, "the only league was based in the South, so all matches involved significant travel to London, Bristol, Reading and Kent."

Thanks to the commitment of the Mosquitoes and other teams though, the sport has since expanded across the country.

There are now leagues in London, on the South coast, in the North East, Wales and Scotland and in the Central and North West, in which Manchester play.

It is the cup final of that League which the Mosquitoes are playing in and Kat said it caps off a successful campaign, one she puts down to the continuing expansion of the club.

"In 2010, the club found a new home at Burnage RFC, where we have built a strong relationship with the rugby club.

"Prior to this, we trained and played at Hough End and Turn Moss, but did not have use of any club rooms.

"Securing the facilities at Burnage has been of enormous benefit to the club and we are grateful for their support."

'A relatively easy sport'

But why has Australian Rules proved to be a hit in Manchester?

Kat explained that she thinks it is down to the accessibility of the sport.

The team have played at Burnage RUFC this season

"One of the main attractions for our players is that, as a minority sport which does not have a professional league in this country, it is a relatively easy sport for adults to take up without the pressure of being expected to instantly know the game.

"Most of our local players have never played previously and many had never even seen a game."

Not that those novice beginnings haven't stopped one player reaching the pinnacle of the UK game, as Kat explained.

"One of our local players, Matt Kilheeney, has been selected to represent Britain as part of the national squad in the European Championships which will be held in Denmark and Sweden in August.

"He took the sport up two years ago as he wanted to try something new."

So regardless of the result on Saturday, the Moquitoes have plenty to be proud about, adding another high performing side to Manchester's ever-growing pantheon of top sport.

Manchester Mosquitoes play Nottingham Scorpions in the AFL Britain Central and North West League Grand Final at Wolverhampton RUFC on Saturday 24 July.