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