The rapid professionalisation of woman’s football has brought money and status. But copying the structures and culture of the male game risks undermining what made it distinct

• Karen Dobres is the author of Pitch Invasion: My Story as a Woman on a Football Club Board

The fourth season of the critically acclaimed football drama Ted Lasso has taken a surprising twist. The show’s writers have decided to have their hero coach AFC Richmond’s women’s team, testing whether Ted’s “Lasso way” can work in a very different footballing environment. We’re only three episodes in, but I’ve already found myself wondering if the series will showcase what makes the women’s game distinct, or just treat it as the same sport with different characters.

The early signs are promising: we’ve already seen the issue of substandard facilities, initial disinterest from the club’s fanbase and the flak that Coach Chilton gets for exhibiting the same qualities lauded in the men’s coach, Roy Kent.

Karen Dobres is the author of Pitch Invasion: My Story as a Woman on a Football Club Board

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