Eddie Lewis: How TOCA Football is Engaging the Next Generation of Fans and Players

Today’s episode I’m joined by Eddie Lewis. Eddie was an American soccer player and is now the CEO and Founder of TOCA Football. 

During his 14 year tenure as a professional player, he spent much of his time in the US and UK, playing for the likes of San Jose Clash, Preston North End, Leeds United, and LA Galaxy - where he played alongside David Beckham.

Since finishing his playing career, Lewis has remained in football, founding TOCA, a training technology company that is used in both elite training centres as well as within TOCA Social, entertainment venues that tap into the trend competitive socialisation, which is best encapsulated by the likes of TopGolf and more recently, F1 Arcade.

Time Stamps:

2:00 - Visiting TOCA Social at the O2 in London

3:00 - Expanding the Experiential Venue Concept into the U.S.

5:00 - The Growth of Women's Soccer and How TOCA can Support

8:00 - The Impact of Beckham and Messi and Forecasting the Growth of Soccer in the U.S.

10:00 - Taking Investment in TOCA from Major League Soccer

14:00 - Becoming 'TopGolf for Football' and Engaging with Fans and Players

17:00 - Applying Lessons from Playing Professional Football to Founding a Company

20:00 - Using Technology to Close the Gap and Enhance Player Development

26:00 - Dealing with Rivals and Taking Inspiration from Other Sports

31:00 - Building for Athletes First - A Lesson from Will Ahmed, CEO of Whoop

34:00 - Future Plans for TOCA Football

Additional Reading:

• Game On: Experiential Venues Worth a Shot to Engage Fans Outside the Stadium
• Driving Engagement: F1 Arcade Opens First US-Based Venue
• Digital Revolut-ion: Why it's Important That WeWork On and Offline

• Sweaty Equity: Why Sports Leagues are Setting Up Investment Funds
• Diary of a CEO Podcast with Whoop CEO, Will Ahmed - How I Built A $3.6 BILLION Company & BEAT Apple! 

Connect with Eddie on LinkedIn - ⁠here⁠

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠here