Season four of the hit TV series sees Richmond FC launch their first women’s team. But what lessons can Christians learn from Ted Lasso? Holly Price says that while culture tells us to focus on becoming the best version of ourselves, the Christian call is to pass on the blessings we have received to others
Isn’t it a delight to see how people have grown? Not just when you’re embarrassing your kids with old photos, but when you watch someone overcome a fear, shed an insecurity or become more fully themselves. A shy teenager becomes a confident leader. A new Christian starts encouraging others. A friend begins to see themselves as God sees them.
There are few joys greater than watching a person grow. Yet we rarely stop to consider how much of our own growth came through people who invested in us. The teacher who believed in us. The friend who listened to us process the same problem for the tenth time. The mentor who challenged us. The church member who spotted our gifting before we did.
That is why, beneath all the banter, biscuits and brilliant one-liners, Ted Lasso may be one of television’s most compelling depictions of discipleship.
Creating the culture
The culture Lasso creates at AFC Richmond is about more than just kindness. The show’s deepest insight isn’t positivity, leadership or mental health. It is the practice of passing on what we’ve received.
Transformation “the Richmond way” isn’t primarily about performance. Instead, Lasso teaches people to extend the grace, encouragement and belief that has been invested in them to others.
Season three of the hit Apple TV series saw Lasso hand over a thriving men’s team. Richmond is no longer dependent on him. Bad boy defender Roy Kent has grown into leadership. Striker Jamie Tartt has matured. Owner Rebecca Walton has become generous rather than controlling.
Lasso may have left, but his influence remains because it has taken root in others. This echoes Paul’s vision in 2 Timothy 2:1-2: “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Spiritual growth is never meant to stop with us. Paul invests in Timothy like a father - and encourages Timothy to invest in others who will, in turn, go on to do the same. Formation happens through relationship. We are discipled so that what God has done in us might overflow into the lives of others.
Reading the game
No character illustrates this better than Keeley Jones. “Famous for being almost famous”, Keeley begins the series as an influencer, model and footballer’s girlfriend, captivated by how she is seen by others.
Over the course of the drama, what changes Keeley is not simply a new career. It is being seen differently. Rebecca spots possibilities in her that others overlook. She gives her opportunities, trusts her judgement and champions her gifts. Their relationship becomes a friendship marked by honesty, support and challenge.
The invitation of discipleship is not to become an expert. It is simply to offer somebody else what we ourselves have receive
The clearest sign of Keeley’s growth is not that she learns to believe in herself. It is that she begins seeing potential in others, displaying the same generosity that Rebecca first showed towards her.
This latest season asks a different question of Keeley. As Richmond launches its first women’s team, Keeley steps into a role of advocacy and care. She works behind the scenes, champions the players and helps create an environment where they can thrive. The question moves from: “Will she flourish?” to “What will she do with what she has received?”
One of the most touching moments comes when Lasso ushers the women’s team into their new changing room. Visibly moved, one player traces her name across her locker. Lasso smiles and says: “And this is all courtesy of one Miss Keeley Jones.”
Keeley’s attention has shifted from managing her image to investing in others.
Passing it on
Our culture teaches us to focus our time, energy and attention on becoming the best version of ourselves. The gospel invites us into something bigger. Christianity teaches that we receive grace so that we can share it. We are encouraged so that we can encourage others (see 2 Corinthians 1:4). We are discipled so that we can disciple.
The reassuring thing is that discipleship rarely looks as dramatic as we imagine. In the opening episodes of season four, Lasso sees potential in the reluctant and wounded Alice Chilton long before she sees it herself.
Spiritual growth is never meant to stop with us
Most of us won’t mentor a Premier League football team, but we can notice somebody, encourage them, pray for them, make time to listen and help them take their next step with Jesus.
The invitation of discipleship is not to become an expert. It is simply to offer somebody else what we ourselves have received. Perhaps that is why Ted Lasso resonates so deeply. It reflects a truth Christians have always known: God’s grace often transforms people through ordinary people.
Who helped make you the person you are becoming? And whose next step might God be inviting you to encourage?
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