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