For as long as he can remember, Ethan has always wanted to become a professional football player. Born in the town of Eastfield, a town with little sporting history and poorly maintained pitches. Ethan was the best footballer in Eastfield from when he was 4 years old. By the time he turned 13, he had become one of the best prospects in the region. Ethan was dribbling past every defender, saw passes before anyone else on the pitch, and had finishing ability with the confidence of an older player. In the region final, Ethan led his team to victory, scoring 4 goals and also having 2 assists. After the game there were murmurs on the sideline that Ethan could be the biggest thing to come out of Eastfield.
Two months later
Ethan stood outside the gates of Crestwood FC Academy for the first day of tryouts against some of the best players in the region. The nerves started to kick in as Crestwood was a much bigger club than Eastfield having been in League 2 until a couple of years ago, when they were relegated to the National League. As boys started to make their way through the gate, Ethan stood still, nervous to go in. As he was standing there, his mom came and gave him a hug. "This is still the same game that you know and love. You will do just fine." As he walked through the gate, Ethan was in awe of the training ground in front of him. Multiple pitches that were cut perfectly and pristine goals, it was a completely different world from Eastfield, where the field was rough and the goalposts were rusty. "Name?" A man in a Crestwood jacket came up to Ethan.
"Ethan Matthews," he said, trying to sound confident.
The man checked his clipboard and pointed to a group of trialists. "You'll be with the Under-fourteens."
The other players in his group barely acknowledged Ethan as he approached them. They were playing keepy-up with each other and looked sharp. A few minutes later a coach blew his whistle to begin the tryout.
The first drill of the day was rondo. When the ball came to Ethan, his first touch was heavy, and he was about to lose possession, but instinct took over and Ethan managed to pass the ball to his teammate. That moment settled Ethan after that the passes were sharper and was able to make defenders look like fools. After the drills ended, Ethan noticed the coach giving him a long look of approval.
The final drill of the day was seven-a-side football, where the game was played like a cup final. At one point a bigger boy gave Ethan a shove in the back that sent him tumbling to the ground. The boy smirked, and Ethan realized that was his "welcome to Crestwood" moment. The next time the ball came to him, Ethan nutmegged the same boy, dribbled past another, and then scored in the top right corner for his first goal.
At the end of the day, Ethan's body was sore all over but he was proud of being able to compete with some of the best players in the region at his age. As he made his way back to the car park he spotted his mom's car. As soon as they made eye contact they smiled at each other knowing that Ethan had earned a youth contract with Crestwood FC.