Former England striker Michael Owen and his son James talk about James' diagnosis with Stargardts disease and the film "Football is for Everyone" about sight loss and football; due to air on TNT Sport later this month. Listen back above.

From his earliest years, Michael Owen's son James displayed the kind of football talent that might have led to a career in the professional game. The former England striker never wanted to push his son to become a footballer; but he was pleased with what he saw, as he told Shay Byrne on The Nine O'Clock Show:

"When James was really young, I said to my dad, I said to my wife, this kid’s got some real ability – he could be a footballer one day. He had a great touch and he was really well-balanced and quick and beat people and he was just really showing promise."

As time went on, James' early potential seemed to stall and he began to struggle, Owen says:

"He was doing a lot of things in the game where I just couldn’t understand why he’d be standing in a certain position and not shuffling over when a ball moved."

Michael says his son was desperate to learn, but as time went on, it dawned on him and his wife that something significant was holding James back:

"That’s when we found out that actually he was struggling to see the board at school, struggling to see an awful lot of other things, and that’s when we started doing some investigation."

Eye tests revealed that James had a condition called Stargardts disease. This causes the retina to deteriorate, leading to the loss of central vision; while some peripheral vision remains. The condition is degenerative and incurable.

James was 8 years old when he got the diagnosis and he's now 17. He joined his Dad on the call with Shay. James says he doesn't remember getting the news of his diagnosis, but he recalls the emotional impact:

"I can't remember actually getting diagnosed, but I can remember how I felt during that period of time. It was quite hard for me, because obviously I couldn’t do a lot of the things I wanted to do in the future, like drive and stuff like that. And also, I like playing football at that time."

By the time he got to secondary school, James had given up playing football. He says his family has been extremely supportive since his diagnosis and his older sister Gemma has become an ambassador for a sight loss charity Fight for Sight.

Football came back into James' life when he was 15 in the form of Futsal - an indoor version of the sport that's been adapted so that visually impaired players can compete. The game is five-a-side, with no limit on substitutions; but in most respects its just like regular football, Michael says:

"It's basically football, to all intents and purposes, same rules, with fouls and all the rest of it."

TNT Sports approached James and Michael Owen about taking part in a documentary about the England partially sighted Futsal Team as they geared up for the 2023 IBSA (International Blind Sport Federation) World Games. James agreed to take part and dusted off his football skills so he could play in the documentary.

Both Michael and James say they enjoyed supporting the England Futsal team reach a home final against Ukraine in 2023, which features in the documentary. Michael says that at the international level, Futsal players are truly impressive:

"The skill levels are actually incredible, as James said. People would think, partially sighted people playing a slightly different game of football; but you know, a premier league player would not struggle, but they would have to be right at the top of their concentration levels to compete with these guys – I mean it's seriously high standard stuff."

If not as a footballer, James Owen says he's determined to follow his Dad into the business world. Michael Owen has run a successful horse racing yard since 2007, when he was still a professional footballer. He is a frequent visitor to this country, which he says he enjoys:

"I buy a lot of our horses from out there, we sometimes race our horses out in Ireland. Ireland is obviously a huge place when it comes to thoroughbreds. I spend a fair bit of time and my business is growing. It's my pride and joy."

Despite being legally blind, James Owen still sometimes gets asked if he wants to be a footballer like his Dad. He says people don't always pick up on the fact that he is visually impaired. He says he no longer feels the same way about the game as he did when he was younger:

"That was definitely a dream when I was a lot younger – I still do get asked that question a lot to this day. To a lot of people, they don’t realise that I’ve got an eye condition and to play main stream football would be close to impossible."

Playing Futsal for his country as a visually impaired player is also not something that interests James. He enjoyed playing in the documentary and continues to support the national side, who he got to know while making the TNT film; but he says that he just wouldn't make the grade as a player himself. Taking part in the documentary has changed his life in many other positive ways, James says:

"It’s definitely built me as a person. The whole experience has been great. I’ve met a lot of new people. Made a lot of friends. And I enjoyed playing football."

"Football is for Everyone" is a new documentary on TNT Sports on January 30th.

Listen back more great interviews from The Nine O’Clock Show here.