Adam Centofanti is a man on the go. He works for Melbourne City Football Club, as well as running his own business called Prime Athletes focusing on athletic performance and development, as well as general fitness. He’s completing a Masters in Sports Science (Football Performance), which will take him to Real Madrid in September. Going forward his aim is to be a high performance manager of an elite sporting organisation. I have no doubt he’ll realise his dream.
Why? Because he’s driven and organised, and he makes things happen.
Adam has played football all his life, predominately semi pro (NPL) in Victoria, and even spent two years playing Serie D in Italy. He recently got into the Futsal world, which saw him in Thailand competing in the AFC Club Futsal Championships, with the opportunity to play against the best teams in Asia. Adam plays for Vic Vipers Futsal Club in the National F-League, and they recently won, qualifying for next years AFC Futsal Club Championships set to be held in the Middle East.
Adam says, “When I am not playing, I do a fair bit of work in the gym and don’t mind a game of table tennis or FIFA. I am a massive fan of food, which often sees me at restaurants with my partner and then catching a film if time permits!”
With so much going on, I’m surprised there’s time for a movie. But that’s the beauty of being organised and having good time management. Adam was kind enough to share some of his success secrets.
Q: Firstly, would your teammates call you organised? A: Yes they would call me very organised. I’m usually the person called upon when it comes to helping a teammate who has forgotten their gear!
Q: How has being organised affected your on field success? A: I believe being organised allows me to focus on my performance leading up to competition, and not have any unnecessary distractions. I always bring backups of everything, and have all my gear ready hours before so I can just relax. I am not one for superstitions, but I do have a set routine that is organised in such a way to optimise performance.
Q: Was there ever a time when you weren’t organised? A: I’ve always been fairly organised, even when I was much younger. If anything I have calmed down a bit in terms of my organisation, as I used to be a bit obsessive. I’m much more efficient and tend to not worry as much if everything doesn’t go to plan.
Q: How do you manage all your many commitments? What’s your secret? A: Between training, work, completing my masters and family/social life, there is a fair bit on! I normally look at my week or month, and prioritise what I think is most important. Usually work goes in first, as we have no choice. Haha! Then I schedule all the training. As my background is in strength & conditioning and athletic development I take the training part quite seriously! Then whatever time I have free I lock in blocks to study and most importantly time to spend with family and friends.
Q: What special tools or strategies do you use to get things done? A: I tend to have work and personal checklists, as well as entering events into my calendar. I also have all my training scheduled in an excel spreadsheet, that way I can track progress and loads.
Q: What’s your career advice for young players starting out? A: The biggest piece of advice I can give to a young player is to be determined and willing to learn, ALWAYS! The biggest mistake you can make is thinking you know it all. There is always someone who knows more than you, so finding good mentors are essential.
Q: And just for fun, if you had an extra hour in your day, how would you spend it? A: I would definitely use this extra hour to spend time with my partner or family. Or maybe sleep. Haha!
Thanks Adam for sharing your organising secrets! It’s no wonder you are so successful.
