CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Australia's most-watched sport has a small home on Chicago's north side.
Aussies rules football. A mystery to many Americans, but maybe because they've never tried it.
"It's a combination of Rugby, soccer, basketball-a little bit of hockey in there as well," explained Stu Nicol, the President of the Chicago Swans.
The swans are one of 46 amateur teams in the United States Australian Football League and they are an eclectic mix.
"Some guys have been playing for 30 years. Some guys have been playing 30 days," said Nicol.
They train once a week, play on the weekends once or twice a month, and of course, there's always a party after or during the Swans are hosting a friendly get-together this weekend to start their season and comemmorate ANZAC day, which honors Australia's war veterans.
The event takes place Saturday at the Waveland softball fields along Lake Michigan. It will start with clinics for the uninitiated at 2:00 p.m., then a game, and then a good 'sausage sizzle', which is a cookout.
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