Sam,

Stick with it, kid. It will be worth it.

You will have to make so many choices and making the right ones is sometimes tough. Your friends will be doing things you wish you could do and you’ll need to have the willpower to say no.

You will think of it as a sacrifice but that isn’t quite right, it’s an investment. Everything you give up and everything you put in is just an investment.

The extra bits of sweat, the extra hours, and the embarrassment of trying to be the best you can will be well worth it.

You will be told you can’t, or to ‘relax,’ but don’t listen. Just keep listening to the voice inside your own head that says, “you can be better”.

Listen to others who say the same and leave the rest behind.

The lessons and discipline you are investing in now will make you not just a better footballer but a better person, and that is an investment worth making.