Arsenal Football Club

London Life
Arsenal 1 Football Club

BBC Learning English – London Life
May 24, 2006

Yvonne:  I'm Yvonne Archer 2 and this is London Life. 

Now here’s a clue about today’s

topic.  Can you guess what it is?

INSERT

supporters and fans, clubs and teams, matches and games,

ground and pitch

Yvonne:  Yes, football, football, football!  London

is in the midst 3 of a football frenzy 4! Of course, there’s

all the build-up to the World Cup, but in the meantime,

Arsenal, a North London club actually made it to the

European Champions League final… and that’s something

that a London club has never done before.  So even the fans

without tickets were loving it!

Jo:

“I’m feeling massively 5 excited, massively nervous for my

team.  I can’t actually believe it, that’s how I feel, I

can’t actually believe it.  Up the Arsenal!”

Yvonne:  That was what Jo Ellis-Holland had to say

before the big game.  She’s enjoyed going to football

matches for many years, but only chose a team of her own to

support about four years ago.  So why Arsenal?  Let’s find

out…

Jo:

I live near the Arsenal ground, so when I decided 6 to pick

my own team, it was a natural choice.”

Yvonne:  Like me, Jo lives near the Arsenal ground,

the team’s stadium, so it was ‘a natural choice’ – and

of course, Jo didn’t have to travel very far watch the

games.
 

“It was a natural choice.”

Yvonne:  Now Jo turned out to be one of Arsenal’s

luckiest fans because she made it to Paris for the

Champions League final.  Before she left, we talked about

her plans, but she spoke 7 very quickly because she was so

excited.  So here’s the challenge: try to catch the main

details of Jo’s ‘itinerary 8’ for the day.  In
particular, listen out for how was she going to get to

Paris?  How was she going to travel around when she got

there?  And what three things was Jo going to do during

that day?

Jo:

“The itinerary is the people that I’m going with will be

met at the airport the other side by a mini-coach which is

going to drive us around Paris and show us all the sites –

which is wonderful for me because I’ve never even been to

France, let alone Paris before.  Then we’re going to lunch

in a fabulous 9 restaurant, so no wearing our Arsenal shirts

in there for the dress code.  And then back into the mini-

coach, have another little drive around Paris.  Finish off

seeing all the sites we haven’t seen and then drive us to

the Stade du France to see the match - and hopefully win!!

“Yvonne:  How did you get on?  Well, Jo planned to

fly to Paris and travel around the city by mini-coach –

that’s a small type of private bus.  She was going to go

sight- seeing, to lunch and of course, to watch Arsenal

football club play against Barcelona!   Here’s a chance to

catch those main points again:

Jo:

We’ll be met at the airport the other side by a mini-coach

which is going to drive us around Paris and show us all the

sites.  Then we’re going to lunch and then finish off

seeing all the sites we haven’t seen and then drive us to

the Star du France to see the match.  And hopefully win!!

“
 We’re a 93 year old club.  We’ve been to the semi finals

but we’ve never actually got to this

stage - to the actual Champions League Finals.  So win or

lose, I’m going to enjoy the day, enjoy the entire 

experience and treasure it for the rest of my life.

Yvonne:  Well, that was then - and this is now!

BBC Radio 5 Live – headline

The headlines: A night of drama, dodgy refereeing 10 and

defeat for Arsenal in the Champions

League Final.  But, they leave Paris with their heads held

high.

Yvonne:  I was in a local pub near the Arsenal

watching all the action, but as our chance of a win began

to slip away, so did I.  I walked home through the rain

past grown men who were crying and thought, yes, we made a

valiant 11 effort, but no- one will remember who came 2nd in

the 2006 Champions League - except us Arsenal fans.