It’s listening to them too. If they want a break to go to friend’s birthday party, let them. Football is my son’s passion but he also really likes other sports and I encourage him to play them. Having a range of interests can only help.

I juggle (and sometimes struggle) with this too. When the season’s finished it’s definitely easier to get my son to focus on his schoolwork. But on evenings when he’s training and weekends when he’s playing matches, it’s so hard. I feel guilty asking him to do homework late at night when he’s tired and should really be in bed!