Neymar of Brazil and David Beckham of England have each autographed one side of Rocco McGowan’s wheelchair. He enjoys watching football on television, plays FIFA on the PlayStation, and participates in a football program, much like the majority of guys his age.
Up until two weeks ago, he possessed all but one of the qualifications required to be recognized as a true football fan: he had never been to a stadium to see a game. His parents made the decision to change that after learning that Qatar was committed to hosting the FIFA World Cup that would be the most accessible ever.
This meant that Rocco, who had never been to a football game all his life, was able to go to five FIFA World Cup games in just 11 days, and has seen teams like Brazil, Portugal, England, USA and South Korea play.
Have fun reviewing movies and drinks
The four stadiums he has watched a game at are 974, Khalifa International, Education City and Al Thumama. His favourite one being Al Thumama, where he has watched two games.
When asked why he liked Al Thumama the most, Rocco, who is Scottish but was born and raised in Qatar, said: “It was the first stadium I ever went to, the first time I saw a pitch and got to be part of a sea of football fans, and the first time I got to cheer live so that made it extra special for me.”
His father, Liam McGowwan, who has been a resident of Qatar for 14 years, said “The accessible seats are usually at the bottom and so they don’t have a good view, but the way they’ve done it here – not only do fans with disabilities have a perfect view of the pitch, but they also have the choice to sit exactly where they want to around the stadium.”
Speaking on his experience at the games, Rocco’s father said it’s been “absolutely spectacular” so far, and that just on their first game, they had slight trouble figuring out where the accessible parking for those with limited mobility was, but once they figured that out, it has been remarkably smooth sailing.
The McGowan family has firsthand witnessed the “tremendous strides” the country has made when it comes to accessibility – thanks to the FIFA World Cup.
He said: “One of our games was at Khalifa International Stadium and we thought why don’t we go walking since we live close by. I was so pleasantly surprised as to how easily we got to the stadium. There were smooth pedestrian walkways and dropped curbs the whole way which made it an absolute breeze.”
If Qatar can maintain its focus on insuring and enhancing accessibility after the FIFA World Cup, in his opinion, “there is no better feeling for a father than to be positive that the country can see a future where Rocco and other people with disabilities may live independently.”
McGowan enjoys playing football as well as watching it, and for the past three years, he has participated in the Ability Friendly Program run by the Qatar Foundation (QF). His mother, Gillian McGowan, claims that his QF football classes are always a highlight of his week.
