Directors Megan Fisher and Jay Bryce made a promise to give all the money from ticket sales to the Shepparton All Abilities team and on Tuesday, December 10, that’s exactly what they did.
Greater Shepparton Basketball Association president Peter Sutherland said the sport was gaining a strong audience and would continue to do so.
“This is an All Abilities league, and it’s become incredibly popular,” he said.
“The All Abilities basketball model across Australia has gained so much momentum.
“In fact, we have a masters tournament in March 2025, and we’ve expanded it to include All Abilities, wheelchair basketball and even potentially walking basketball — which, who knows, might be good for our knees.”
Mr Sutherland said the Underdog documentary itself highlighted the enthusiasm behind basketball.
“The Underdog film was an out-of-the-box showcase of Shepparton basketball,” he said.
“It highlighted the unity and love for the game and the passion of the people involved.”
The final donation was $1335 and the team has a plan for how to make the most of the funds.
“For The News to donate the money raised to the All Abilities program is incredible,” Mr Sutherland said.
“This funding will be used for uniforms, transport, hiring buses and coaches, and expanding the program to allow teams to travel to other regions.
“It will help take this program to the next level, broadening opportunities for everyone involved.
"A huge thank you to The News and the Gators’ crew for creating the Underdog documentary and delivering such an amazing outcome here today.
“This is something truly special — we’ve never had anything like it before. It’s beautiful.”
Co-director and News photographer Megan Fisher said the donation to the team was the only way forward.
“Jay and I wanted to donate our ticket sales to All Abilities because it made sense,” Ms Fisher said.
“We wanted to give back to Shepparton basketball in some way, and giving the proceeds of the tickets to a program like All Abilities that encourages people with disabilities to play sport/basketball, and it is honestly pretty wholesome to know that we can put money towards new equipment or jerseys for them.”
All three episodes are online, the launch event went off without a hitch and now the donation has been handed over.
In other words, they did it.
“It honestly feels amazing to know that we created something with limited resources,” she said.
“I’m glad it’s finally out in the world, and I hope it inspires at least one or more people to not give up, reach for your dreams, try something different regardless of what that outcome may be because you never know what it could do for your life or someone else’s.”
Ms Fisher said that although this project had wrapped up, there was always more to do.
“We’ll have to wait and see (what’s next),” she said.
“There are many stories this region has that are still yet to be told; at least you know that as a visual storyteller, I’m always here to tell a story with my camera.”
To watch all three episodes of the documentary, head to tinyurl.com/UnderdogDoco
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