Moving the Goalposts
The world’s first interactive football and dining experience, TOCA Social combines immersive-based games designed around the globe’s most popular sport and a world-class food and drink menu. As the concept prepares for major expansion, Alex Harman, President of the company, talks to us about the inception of the business, how its game-changing ideas are being implemented and what its game-plan is for the future.
Born out of a football business originally and with roots in the football training industry, the original piece of technology was called the TOCA Touch Trainer. Created by ex-professional football player Eddie Lewis, the contraption allowed people to work on their touch, through the use of an advanced ball machine.
Fast-forward to today and the goal behind TOCA Social’s venues are to create a version of football that is accessible to absolutely anyone and can be done with anyone else, all whilst enjoying a social experience and outing. In essence and as the company motto goes… Everybody Plays.
“We launched our first venue in 2021 at the O2 in London, UK, which was a tremendous success upon launch and continues to attract 300,000 visitors per year,” highlights Alex Harman, President of TOCA Social. “Our second site opened its doors at the Bullring in Birmingham in June 2024 and our latest venue was unveiled in July this year at Westfield White City, becoming our second London site.”
With a proven market fit, there are plans to add more UK sites in the future as the company plans its expansion route. They have recently signed a joint venture with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) that is targeting up to 20 venues across continental Europe. As part of this deal, currently under construction is TOCA Social’s first location in Paris, France at La Défense, Europe’s largest central business district which is on course to open in Q2 next year.
Outside of Europe, they have a significant existing presence in the US where they have partnered with Major League Soccer and this is a really important growth market for the business. The first US venue is currently being built in Dallas in the area’s premier entertainment destination, Grandscape.
As for the rest of the world, Harman highlights that they are really excited about their global franchising model, through which they have signed with partners in Mexico for a rollout of 20 venues. They have also signed with another franchise partner for other markets in Central America. Harman also comments that this is just the start of their growth and they remain on the lookout for world-class operational partners for global franchising.
So what can one expect when they walk on to the playing field of a TOCA Social? To begin with, the space! As Harman puts it, imagine the size of a cinema if you stripped the screens out. Upon entry, guests walk through an experiential tunnel that utilises light and sound that will make you feel like you are coming out of the Wembley tunnel onto the pitch. From here, football fans will feel right at home as they notice all the unique pieces of football-related memorabilia featured around the cool and modern design layout. While this is great for fans of the beautiful game, it is not designed with them solely in mind. Anyone else may be drawn to the fun environment; the stand-out semi-private playing boxes where the games take place and of course the fantastic bars that dominate the venue and entice you to try their stand-out food and beverage offering.
“The games experience merges physical and digital gameplay. So once you’ve had your go, you can relax in your own box in a comfortable viewing and seating area where eating and drinking becomes part of the experience. It is all tailored so be an interactive, social experience where being good at football is not important as the games can be tweaked for all skill levels.”
Offering a unique experience and exceptional locations, digital storytelling has become a key part of their operations, as visual storytelling is the most effective way to portray the brand to people and explain why they should go and test it out for themselves.
Working with ambassadors such as the men’s and women’s England national team captains Harry Kane and Leah Williamson and hundreds of influencers, their whole mission and vision is based around trying to break down the traditional barriers in the sport. So it is about promoting female participation, promoting participation for all ages and all abilities, regardless of whether they are football fans or not prior to attending.
“This is reflected all over our social feeds such as Instagram and TikTok and it is on these platforms that our ‘Everybody Plays’ message shines through. At our core, we are in the business of fun. People come to us to escape their everyday lives for a while, to socialise with friends and family and enjoy good food and drink.”
On the topic of F&B, there has long been a certain stigma around this offering in active entertainment experiences. At TOCA Social, the idea is to smash this out of the park with their take on modern Americana offerings with a creative twist. So while there are the traditional, up-levelled offerings such as chicken wings and burgers, there are also steamed bao buns and tacos with gravy to enjoy, aside its range of football-themed drinks.
With its Paris and Dallas site openings just around the corner, shortly followed by the first launches of its franchises in Latin America, the next few months have a lot in store for the company. In addition, let’s not forget the small matter of the FIFA World Cup in summer 2026 which will offer a unique platform to grow the TOCA brand!
“We are really happy with how the company is growing at the minute and with everything in the pipeline, it really is an exciting time to be a part of the business and personally, I can’t wait to see what the future brings,” concludes Harman.
