Soccer News

New venue in Dallas Design District will combine dining and ... soccer

Three levels of surefire fun.

Courtesy rendering

There's an unusual new venue coming to Dallas that will combine food and drink with ... soccer. Called TOCA Social, it's a relatively new concept from TOCA Football, Inc. (TOCA), a technology-enabled soccer experience company, which will debut the first location in the U.S. in Dallas' Design District, at 1313 Riverfront Blvd. in what was once the offices of now-closed century-old Padgett Printing.

According to a release, it'll open in 2023.

TOCA Social is described as a unique place to eat, drink, and play, with soccer-themed entertainment and immersive games designed for all skill levels.

It was founded by Eddie Lewis, a U.S. World Cup and former MLS and English Premier League midfielder who developed much of the company's technologies and training experiences.

The first location opened in August 2021 at London's iconic The O2, a live entertainment and retail destination. It's been well received, with more than 25,000 guests visiting per month and over 5 million balls kicked to date. It has also become a hotspot for athletes, celebrities, and social media influencers including cast members from Ted Lasso and global artist KSI.

TOCA Social is part of a wave of entertainment sports centers that are converting competitive games into casual matches where anyone can play — think pickleball.

TOCA co-chairman Erik Anderson confirms that in a statement, saying that "TOCA experiences are all about enjoying soccer regardless of your skill level and TOCA Social takes that a step further by offering a fun, social environment in addition to gamifying soccer in a new and casual way."

The Dallas location will have 56,000 square feet with three stories, four bars for food and drink, and 34 TOCA boxes to play soccer.

TOCA Social US senior VP Zach Shor says that the venue's "best-in-class food, delicious cocktails, cold beer and a one-of-a-kind soccer experience ... will continue to solidify Dallas as an entertainment and sports mecca in the US."

The menu at the London location includes:

Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich
chicken wings
fried pickles
kale Caesar
cauliflower cheese bites
vegan burger
Buddha bowl
mac & cheese
smoked tempura tofu nuggets

It's too early to say whether all those dishes will make it to the U.S., but we are definitely here for the tofu nuggets. Dallas needs more fried tofu.

TOCA currently operates 15 TOCA Sport soccer training centers and one TOCA Social soccer entertainment venue. They have big plans to expand, adding more than 35 soccer training centers and at least three more TOCA Social venues.

They say this will make them the world's largest technology-enabled soccer experience company, and who are we to disagree.

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Racket sports

Trendy Austin padel club Padel39 lobs first DFW location into Carrollton

Photo by Juan J Valdes

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A popular padel club from Austin is serving up its first location in Dallas-Fort Worth: Padel39 has purchased and taken over the existing Dallas Padel Club, at 3000 Belmeade Dr.

According to a release, multimillion-dollar renovations are underway and are expected to be complete by summer 2026. The revamp includes:

Seven new outdoor courts are being added to the current three indoor courts (with completion expected by March 2026).
Full food and beverage capabilities for a premium sports bar that is open to the public.
A fitness area for members that is affiliated with HYROX, recovery areas, wellness facilities (sauna, cold plunge, etc.), upscale locker rooms.
Upscale lounging and coworking space.

For those not up on their racket sports, padel is a cousin of pickleball, tennis, and racquetball. The sport has been wildly popular in Spain and Latin America for decades and is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. Like pickleball, it's a doubles game played on a small court, and players hit off glass walls.

Padel was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera; Padel39 bears the first two numbers of all Acapulco ZIP Codes.

Padel39 co-founders Will and Naomi Boyce.Photo by Juan J Valdes

The company was founded in 2024 by husband-and-wife William Boyce and Naomi Boyce; William played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin.

Padel39 currently has two locations in Austin, with a third opening in March. They say they aim to open 12 to 15 Padel39 clubs in Austin, Dallas, and Houston by 2028. After Carrollton, a location will open in central Dallas in late 2026/early 2027, they say.

“We currently introduce 200+ new players to the sport each month, while maintaining a core group of repeat clients who return for the fitness, competition and vibrant community,” William Boyce says in the release. “Each new location fulfills our vision to put Padel39 and Texas at the epicenter of the padel community.”

In addition to offering courts to play on, Padel39 features on-court programming, tournaments, social events, and physical wellness opportunities such as courtside Pilates and morning yoga.

Padel39 Padel39 courts and lounge areas at a location in Austin. Photo by Josh Graziadei

While Padel39 offers memberships, all guests are welcome to play, they say. According to the website, each club is priced differently. At the flagship location in Austin, Padel39 memberships start at $89 per month or $890 per year, but players can also rent courts as needed for 90 minutes at $30.

“We set out to create a modern take on a country club; a place where members and guests could ‘play and stay,’” Boyce says. “We’ve built that and more. We work to improve the experience for our guests each day.”

Outdoor construction on the Carrollton club is expected to be completed by March. Indoor food and beverage, fitness and lounging renovations will be finished by summer, they say. The club will remain open during renovations.

padel pickleball sports