The worst question I get asked is, why doesn’t your son play football?
MICHAEL OWEN opens up on the rare disease that has left teenage son James — once a promising player — clinically blind
FOR James Owen, being the son of former England striker Michael has come with natural expectations and a recurring question, ‘Do you want to be a footballer like your dad?’
James played the game during his childhood and showed signs of promise, but his dream of becoming a professional became impossible when he was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of eight.
Retired Irish Paralympic sprint champion and Dancing With The Stars contestant Jason Smyth has the same condition. Stargardt disease is a rare genetic condition which occurs when fatty material builds up on the macula — the small part of the retina needed for sharp, central vision. There is currently no cure.
James’s sight got progressively worse through his teenage years and he is now clinically blind.
‘People expect me to go into football and I did used to really enjoy it,’ James, now 17, tells Mail Sport. ‘But it was getting to a point where it was too difficult to know where the ball was. I lost the enjoyment of it really because I wanted to be the best.’
It is not just James who has to deal with being quizzed over his football ability. ‘It’s probably the worst question, not that I ever show it or say it to anybody,’ adds Michael Owen.
‘You find yourself either having to make an excuse or say he’s not interested and people look at you and say, “He’s not interested in football?” Then you have to explain everything and you end up in a conversation you don’t want to have with anybody.
‘When someone comes up to you in the pub and says, “Does your son play?” you just want to change the subject. That’s probably been the hardest thing over the years. James wasn’t enjoying football as much as he should have been because he wasn’t as good as he should have been.
‘When he was very young and his eyes were better, the pitches were smaller and everything was closer so he could see the ball better, he was very, very good. I said to my dad and my wife and everyone, “He’s got a right chance here of being a footballer”. But then as soon as he got diagnosed, he just sort of gradually stopped. He coped with it well.’
James speaks with the intelligence of a young man who perhaps had to grow up more quickly than other children.
‘When football wasn’t possible, I wanted to find something alternative,’ he says. ‘For a while I didn’t, but now I want to have my own business and provide for my future family years.
‘I used to be a lot more emotional about it (the condition), I used to let it identify me more.
‘When I was younger, I felt sorry for myself. I thought, “Why me? I can’t drive, I can’t do this”. But being upset about it isn’t going to change anything so I might as well crack on.’
Owen Snr smiles at James’s remark, joking his son ‘sounds just like me’ with his positive approach to life. But the former striker admits that their journey has come with struggles.
‘You just want to take it all away from them, you want to have the problem and not them. You just don’t like the thought of what the future could hold.
‘At first, you look at all the negatives. He won’t be able to drive. What jobs can he have? There are still things that upset you now. I want him to be able to do the things everybody else does. He pretty much does, just with a few alterations.
‘It wasn’t easy at all. The poor little lad had to go into hospital every two minutes and had to lie there being brave while getting things shoved in his eye. His eyes would be stinging and he’d be screaming (in pain). You just think, “Why?”
‘But I’ve done many a hospital visit in my time and seen lots of people that are less fortunate so you have to put it all into perspective. We crack on and have a great time. I’ve got a lot to be proud of because he’s grown up to be a brilliant lad.
‘I just think, “You know what, I’m going to have a son that I’m probably even closer to”. He won’t be able to drive, brilliant, I’ll be his taxi for life! It would be great if he could see perfectly and hopefully one day he will be able to.’ Michael and James are hoping to raise awareness of Stargardt’s and other eye conditions through a new documentary Football is For Everyone.
The documentary, which they present, delves into the world of sight loss and football.
‘James has never really met people with an eye condition like his, so to be able to go to these camps and to talk to them has been quite helpful,’ Michael says.
‘For the people in James’s position, hopefully it gives them a little bit of hope. Something to say, “Do you know what, just because I’m less fortunate than my neighbour, it doesn’t mean that I can’t go and do things in life”. I hope it’s quite inspirational from that point of view. Those of us who are luckier and are great in our health, hopefully it makes them a little bit more conscious.’
For James, he hopes the documentary gives hope to others who are just being diagnosed with conditions like Stargardt’s.
‘I would like to spread awareness. I enjoyed finding a community of people that I can relate to. I think for a lot of people who might have been in the same situation as me, where they wanted to go into football but it ended up being impossible, I would like them to know that (playing) is still an option.’ Football is for Everyone starring Michael and James Owen premieres on TNT Sports 1 at 11pm on January 30