The cutest pitch invaders ever! Koala and its joey interrupt football game in Queensland  

In what are possibly the cutest pitch invaders of all time, a mother koala and her joey simply had to see what football was all about in Queensland on Saturday.

With baby on board, the mum charged across the corner of a playing field in the match between Mansfield and Raceway in the Queensland Christian Soccer Association at Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane.

The cheeky and curious marsupial temporarily lightened the mood during the tense match halting play.

She herself, whether tired or in need of a closer look, halted her stroll momentarily, looked around at the field of play, and only picked up the pace when a player walked toward her.

Animals know no boundaries and shouldn’t either as humans continually encroach upon their habitats.

In Queensland this momma koala carrying her joey stopped off to watch a local football match

Koalas can only be found in Australia, and when not invading football pitches are usually found sleeping in eucalyptus trees

And across the globe from gators invading putting greens during golf tournaments to cats and pigs racing across footy fields, animals have a long association with pitch invasions.

Some notable ones over the years include: 

* In January 2019, the San Antonio Spurs had an encounter with bats in the building. Four bats flew around the same court where 10 years earlier a single bat appeared on Halloween. The game was delayed for a while.

* During the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland in 2012, a dog named Digby followed golfer Paul Casey and his caddy until he committed his devious act. Digby tried to evade being caught, but he was eventually grabbed by a nearby onlooker.

* At a country horse race meeting in Gunnedah, NSW two years ago, a kangaroo joined in the gallop with 800m of the race left to travel and led them a merry dance for about 75metres.

* In an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens, an adorable cat waltzed onto the field of M&T Bank Stadium in 2017. The cat was ultimately removed from the area and adopted by a stadium staff member. The owner named the cat ‘Rae’ after the Baltimore Ravens. 

A giant 6 metres long alligator strode the green in Georgia, stopping and sunning itself during a tournament and no one volunteered to move him

* In May 2019, a swarm of bees delayed a Cincinnati Reds versus Francisco Giants baseball game by 18 minutes in the Great American Ball Park. Players and crowd members were petrified that the bees might sting them.

 * Former Leeds United striker Habib Habibou chased a duck during a Belgian league match between Zulte Waregem and Lokoren. When he caught it the duck was hurled over the advertising board. Thankfully, it waddled away seemingly unhurt.

* In 2016, a capybara trudged onto a golf course only a week before the start of the Olympic games. This was not a one-time event, though. In fact, many capybaras, which are giant rodents who look like huge guinea pigs, and other animals were repeatedly invading the Olympic golf course.

* In a startling coincidence, a bird was flying across the ballpark at the exact time Randy Johnson was pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The throw was so strong that the bird’s feathers practically exploded from its body. The bird passed away upon contact.

* A cat ran on the pitch in a match between Liverpool and Tottenham back in 2012. Supporters quickly saw the funny side, and a Twitter account for the cat was instantly created, amassing over 30,000 followers in just a few hours.

* A huge owl was totally unfazed by the fact that an important Euro 2008 qualifier between Finland and Belgium was going on. The home fans enjoyed it, though, and can be heard chanting ‘bubo, bubo’ which just means ‘owl, owl’. 

Simple but effective.