Leeds United must take the hard way to secure promotion back into the Premier League. A few months ago, they seemed guaranteed for a top-2 finish in the Championship table – only to start stuttering and allow Leicester City and Ipswich Town to take those spots instead. Now, the Whites have to defeat Norwich City in the playoffs semi-final before winning the final at Wembley.
But there is still an air of defiance and belief around the air among the supporters. Because of the impressive football produced by Thomas Farke’s side all season long, there is a decent amount of confidence that the Whites will prevail over their opponents. Leeds United can expect raucous support chugging them on in their upcoming matches, and one special supporter who will always have them in their heart is John Brown.
For those who aren’t regular visitors of the Whites’ matches at Elland Road, this supporter might be a bit of a stranger. But he’s slowly and surely become a cult hero among the matchgoing fans. What makes this aged Leeds fan – in his early 80s – stand out is that he always rides on a mobility scooter whenever visiting a match.
The mobility scooter is strictly designed for one person only and Brown has completely changed its design. He’s had Leeds’ club logo printed all over it and also the club colours of white, yellow and blue in its makeover. Brown has even attached a few boomboxes to the back of the scooter, which he uses to blare out the Leeds United club anthem before matches.
Not just that, but he often hangs a Leeds United flag on top of the scooter and is known for being super friendly in interacting with other fans or allowing them to take pictures with his scooter.
The Leeds fans is a former antique’s dealer, who is now retired – but has not forgotten his love for his childhood club. Brown is a fighter in his own right and his decision to roam around in his unique scooter and let people take pictures with it has a special inside story.
The aged fan actually has quite the inspiring story and is amidst an ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer a few years ago but managed to survive it with the help of chemotherapy. But the Parkinson’s disease, which initially began 12 years ago in his right hand, has spread all across his body.
That has made it difficult him to swallow solid food and had an impact on his mental health, also impacting his ability to ride his scooter and travel to matches on a daily basis. As a result, all he can do these days is just travel in his scooter to matches before the game to fire up the atmosphere and then go back home 10 minutes before kick-off because Brown doesn’t feel his health can allow him to attend a match inside a stadium.
By travelling to matches before kick-off, he is trying his best to earn some money with the help of his unique scooter. What he does is allow fans to take pictures with his scooter for a little money, which he can use to look into his personal expenses.
He spoke to Leeds Live last year about how he is living with the Parkison’s Disease, explaining: “I got the idea I would turn everything into a positive. With Parkinson’s Disease, you’ve got to fight it. A lot people ‘retire to the chair’ and if you do that, you lose everything. I spend a lot of the day trying to do stuff, moving about, and my wife is disabled so I have to do all the cooking as well. The scooter has given me a new purpose in life, it’s motivated me to carry on.
“I get up everyday and I think if it wasn’t for that, I don’t think I’d be getting out of my chair much. With Parkinson’s, it’s so easy to do nothing because you feel tired all the time and you feel really ill. Life is very hard.”
John’s wife, Pamela – who is also disabled – spoke about his determination to live on and his love for Leeds United, adding: “As far as I’m concerned, with what he’s been going through, the scooter gives him pleasure, keeps him occupied and he’s not down. I think having some positive things to do has been good for him. He’s enjoyed it. Parkinson’s is an awful thing and the cancer held him back but he’s always been one for soldiering on.”
Even though John Brown might not attend matches at Elland Road or away games anymore, the amount of work he puts in, despite his disease, to fire up the atmosphere before games is something any fan can be proud of. Leeds are yet to really acknowledge his good work behind the scenes, but if one visits Elland Road, they can probably find this hilarious mobility scooter and this lovely man to take pictures with every time the Whites host a home game.
