Everton’s first-ever disabled mascot said the experience of walking out onto the pitch at Goodison will live with him for the rest of his life.
Andrew Forsyth, from Skelmersdale, recalled the “spine-tingling” moment he walked onto the pitch for the first time. The 35-year-old got to meet and shake hands with some of Everton’s biggest names at the time.
The magazine editor told the ECHO: “Being the first member of Everton Disabled Supporters Association to be a mascot meant a lot to me, and it's great to see that we've had several since. It was a memorable game too, the 4-4 draw against Leeds in October 1999. I remember the atmosphere being electric. Walking out in front of that crowd was spine-tingling, I really got a sense of what the players felt running out onto the hallowed turf.”
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Andy has spina bifida, a congenital condition which was “very apparent” at birth. Despite being restricted in “some ways physically”, he lives each day to the “best of my ability”. When he was a child, his condition meant he often felt lonely and left out because he had to miss out on social events and on some occasions “was treated differently”.
This coupled with the fact Andy did not go to a school in his hometown resulted in him not being able to “forge relationships with friends nearby”. So when the chance came to be part of the Everton FC family, he knew it was an opportunity he had to grab with both hands.
The former Edge Hill University student said: “Achieving every Evertonian's dream of scoring a couple of penalties at the Gwladys Street end, shaking hands with Dave Watson and Lucas Radebe at kick-off and that last-minute equaliser from Davie Weir, it's all so clear in my head. It truly was an amazing day that will live with me for the rest of my life.
“Everton does so much to tackle inequality and their work with groups such as EDSA has been amazing. We’ve come so far and seeing how much work has gone into giving the Disabled Supporters groups a voice to be heard, no matter your team, it really is good to see.”
Since then, Andy has been seizing the moment whenever possible in spite of his disability and discrimination. Andy himself has been referred to as a “health and safety hazard” by others more than once. On one occasion, he remembers being asked to sit in the corner of a café so he wouldn’t be “in the way” of other customers.
The journalism graduate added: “As a kid, you don't really think about the fact that it's just a part of your life and that you should just continue to get on with things. Things are improving, but there's still a long way to go before access is truly equal and attitudes change.
“I’m very determined to live the best life I can, to show that I am capable of anything and I’m not going to let my disability stop me from doing the things I love. One of the things I love to do is travel, and in the past, I have done a couple of independent trips around Australia and also travelled independently to New York as part of a couple of University trips. I’ve not done any independent travelling for a few years now, but I hope to be able to in the near future.”
As a result of his own personal experiences, Andy has spent a lot of time promoting disability rights and his work hasn’t gone unnoticed. He was recently awarded the Everton Disabled Supporter Award by Everton's LGBTQ+ supporters group, Rainbow Toffees.
He said: “To be honest, I was surprised to win. It’s nice to be recognised, but for me, it’s, more importantly, an acknowledgement of the values that I hold – fair treatment and equality. I have tried to promote disability rights wherever possible and have spoken of my own experiences where I’ve been subjected to discrimination or bullying – fortunately, I’ve not had too much experience with bullying, but certainly a few cases of discrimination. I will always speak up when I see or hear of someone being mistreated because of their disability.”
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