He's well versed in the art of defending but for Jamie Carragher this week it was a case of back to the chalkboard as he visited a local school to discuss tactics.

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The Reds vice-captain took time out of his busy preparations for Thursday's Napoli clash by dropping in at Barlows Lane Primary School in Fazakerley.

The purpose of his visit was to help launch the club's Tactics 4 Families initiative, which will run over the next five weeks and aims to use the language and principals of football as a mechanism to highlight the importance of strong family bonds.

The message that the best sides are always made up of unique individuals, all of whom possess their own special talents and skills, was conveyed - explaining why a 'team of Carraghers' wouldn't be successful in reality.

A staunch supporter of the scheme, Carra was quick to get into the spirit of the afternoon as he settled down into completing workbook exercises with the pupils.

"It's fair to say I'm a fan of the message - I think it's a great initiative," the Reds stalwart told .tv. "There are plenty of good messages put out there by the PFA and the Premier League, with players going around different communities. This is the one I am glad to be involved in being a family man myself.

"It's good for football clubs to be involved in events like this. A lot of work is done in this department now, not so much so when I first started out but I think that's one of the benefits of the finances in football. It's important both clubs and players give something back.

"There always is good banter with the kids and I love that about Liverpool kids - like my own, they're not shy! They've always got something to say, normally about the football!"

Afterwards, Carragher was more than happy to sign autographs while he also presented the school with an autographed jersey complete with the iconic No.23.

Carra has always been eager to support the Tactics 4 Families initiative and LFC Family Officer Mark Chester is delighted the programme has the backing of one of the globe's leading footballers.

"It's fantastic for Jamie to come along," he said. "Jamie's been along to help us a number of times now. He's a great ambassador for the club, connects well with the children and talks passionately, not just about football but also family as well.

"He helped us do the first lesson in a series of five today, and the theme was 'Work as a Team'. We cover seven messages, so in addition we've got Get off the Bench, Talk a Good Game, Sing Your Support, Play by the Rules, Get Up Don't Give Up and You'll Never Walk Alone.

"We'd like the children to see their family as being very important - that their family is their team. We hope they take away the message of how important it is to work at family life and make it as positive as it can be."