Epic fails of sports field entry

When it comes to sport, some teams are beaten before the whistle even sounds and there’s no surer - or funnier - omen for defeat than a botched field entry.

From NFL and AFL sides through to little league gridiron and junior Aussies rules teams, bursting through a banner for a big entrance is part and parcel of the game.

Fans often spend weeks preparing banners to salute their retiring heroes or to hail a grand final appearance.

And while most entries roll through without incident there's nothing funnier than when it all goes wrong - as this hilarious montage of failures shows.

From players tripping over one another to others getting coat-hangered, or in the case of a few unfortunate gridiron cheerleaders, being mowed down by a 120kg-plus player, this footage shows some epic fails.

We only hope the players had more luck when the real sports action began.