Fifi, Fev & Nick’s The Underdogs: A true team effort

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes an army to pull off a radio event so big and so moving, it leaves the listener sobbing out loud.

When Fifi, Fev and Nick’s Underdogs ran out onto the hallowed MCG turf in front of a 56,000 strong AFL crowd on Saturday, it was the culmination of a huge logistical exercise and hours upon hours of work behind the scenes.

Senior Fox FM brekky producer Gemma Prendergast said on LinkedIn: “Working in radio means being part of some pretty incredible moments — but this one goes straight to the top of the list.”

“Life can be tough, and at Fifi, Fev & Nick and the Fox FM team, we wanted to prove that everyone is welcome on the team. We brought together 22 kids who’ve been bullied or excluded from sport — and gave them their moment to shine on the MCG. It was pure magic.”

“It’s been an honour to lead this project alongside Deanna Avzangelis — without a doubt, one of the most rewarding moments of my career so far.”

“Huge shoutout to the hardest-working team in radio: Leon Sjogren, James Blake, Daniel Garisto, Azzan Schuster (seriously, just check out his video!), Mark J D’Angelo – and our world-class leader Amanda Lee.”

Fox FM brekky producer Daniel Garisto also paid tribute to the efforts of the entire SCA team who made the dream come true for these kids.

“The work Gemma Prendergast put into making this massive event happen is genuinely remarkable. The way James Blake led the team to make the lead up sound great on air was inspiring.”

“Watching the way Azzan Schuster get his creative vision out on the day of blew me away.”

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Fifi Box said “(This is) exactly why we created The Underdogs – for kids who feel excluded to know that they are valued, celebrated, and part of something special. There’s nothing like the magic of the MCG, and we want every child to know they deserve to feel like a star.”

Social media was inundated after the game:

“I’m an absolute blubbering mess after watching that,” said one person. “Those kids are wonderful and I have no doubt they will keep kicking goals.”

*Images: LinkedIn and supplied