I play for Crystal Palace and I also go to Whitgift school. Many people believe that it is hard to maintain focus and be hard working 100 percent of the time at one of these things, let alone both. So how do I manage it?

Whilst I am not complaining about the schedule of training at  Palace, it is very demanding. We train a total of 5 times a week with a game that is usually on a Sunday. We will train twice on a Tuesday arriving at 1:00 ( a hybrid program that allows us to miss an afternoon school to train ) and finish our second session at 8 which will usually mean I will arrive home at around 9. The time that is not filled on the football pitch is analysis, gym, and eating. The second session is on Wednesday where we will train from 5 to 6: 30 which is followed up with another session the next day which is 5 till 8:00. Then we will train early morning Saturday and play on Sunday ( sometimes these games can see you leave at 7 a.m. and arrive back at home in the evening. Despite the busy schedule, I would not miss one minute of any session as I love the game of football and I want it to be my profession one day.

However, I know education is very important as the numbers are stacked against me making it, and even if I do football is a very short and harsh profession. Therefore a few years back I decided to join Whitgift school ( A school renowned for its Sport but with great results for GCSEs and A levels ). What I didn't consider as a 12-year-old was how busy my schedule would be and the amount of homework I would receive. Nights often end with me going to bed around 11 o'clock as  I would get in late and still have to shower, eat my dinner, and do an hour's homework that was due the next day.

So why do I keep doing this? I love this environment as it forces me to be hardworking and continually push myself rather than lounging around,  having more free time than knowing what to do with it. I also know as long as I keep focused I will achieve my dream whilst having a great backup plan to pursue after my career.