2005 Champions League Final

Christian teachers are always on the look out for material that is both topical and uplifting for use in school assemblies. Well, why not focus on Liverpool's historic victory in Istanbul on Wednesday 25 May 2005?

Here are just a few thoughts/themes:  

• Never give up.
• Trust the manager.  
• Don't be scared of changing your game plan.  
• Believe in your (God-given) abilities.  
• Stay positive.  
• Play as a team.  
• Be bold! Do something different! (Goalkeepers with wobbly legs win matches!)  
• And... if you're an AC Milan player... never ever underestimate the opposition!
  

Or, to put it another way...

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on

(Choir) Walk on
Oh walk on
(Choir) Walk on
Hold your head up high

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
You'll n-e-v-e-r walk a-l-o-n-e!

© 1945, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein

“You'll Never Walk Alone” was written for the 1945 Broadway musical play Carousel . Richard Rodgers wrote the music. Oscar Hammerstein wrote the music. “You'll Never Walk Alone” is associated with Liverpool Football Club but, over the years, it has been a source of comfort, challenge and inspiration to football fans everywhere. In 1985 the song was re-recorded and released to raise funds for the families of victims and survivors of the Bradford Stadium Tragedy; the song reached Number One and raised hundreds of thousand of pounds.

As Christians, we believe that we are never alone - and we are never without hope. This song reminds us of God's promise to be with us always, even to the very end of time.

Liverpool FC (the underdogs of the tournament who finished fifth in the English Premier League in 2005) was 3-0 down to AC Milan at half-time in the final of the Champions League. But all was not lost. Liverpool went on to win the match because, above all, the manager and the players never stopped believing they could win. In the end, their perseverance and belief paid off.

By Rupert Kaye, ACT Chief Executive, 26 May 2005