Soccer Meets Ping Pong in Fort Worth’s New Teqball Tables » Dallas Innovates

Photo: City of Fort Worth

Move over, pickleball. There’s a new game in town. One that’s going for the gold.

Teqball, which has been called a quirky offshoot of soccer, is a new ball sport played on a curved table. Pronounced “tek-ball,” it’s something like a cross between soccer and ping pong. Now Fort Worth has a couple of places where you can play it. The city has set up Teq tables for public use at Trinity Park and Marine Park.

The tables come from Teqball USA, which plans to donate hundreds of tables to communities across the country.

Dallas has Teqers, too

The city was host to the Dallas Challenger Cup last year, which had events for both men and women.

The sport involves passing a size 5 association soccer ball back and forth over a solid tabletop net, using any part of your body except your hands. The sport can be played between two players—or Teqers—as a singles game, or between four players as a doubles game.

So far, Teqball has about 60 registered clubs, and the next stops will be Miami, New York, and Dallas, reported Sports Travel magazine in April.

Teqball: A brand and a sport

Teqball, which is both a brand and a sport, is growing fast.

It got its first USA programming deal with ESPN in January and has tie-ins with some 18 MLS and eight NWSL clubs. It’s become the fastest-growing global soccer-based sport in about a decade, the company says.

And according to Teqball’s CEO, it has mostly spread across the US through “gorilla marketing.”

Making the curve

Teqball was started in Hungary in 2012 by former professional player Gábor Borsányi, businessman György Gattyán, and computer scientist Viktor Huszár. The company calls the sport experience unique, with elements of soccer, tennis, and table tennis.

It’s a “truly gender-equitable” game that can be played indoors or out, and it’s a training favorite for the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.

Olympic aspirations

In 2020, the United States National Teqball Federation was formed, naming Teqball CEO Ajay Nwosu as the first president of the association. Now the LA-based CEO is trying to get the sport into the 2028 Olympics.

Since its US beginnings in LA, the sport sparked interest across the country.

“The hardest part for us is getting people to try it,” Nwosu told Sports Travel. But, he says, once they try it and have a few successful moments, they become addicted.

Nwosu, who is an ex-player and entrepreneur noticed the sport in 2018, and was “immediately encapsulated.”

Rules of the game

According to Boardroom TV, the sport has also found fans from Justin Bieber to David Beckham.

“The magic of Teqball is in the table and the rules,” Nwosu told Boardroom earlier this year.

Teqball in North Texas

The locations for the new Teqball tables in Fort Worth are:

• Trinity Park, 2259-2289 River Drive.
• Marine Park, 303 NW 20th St.

In Dallas, you can follow @teqtruckmidwest on Instagram for local enthusiasts. Check it out:

More options

To contact the US National Teqball Federation, go here.

And for those so inclined, you can consider buying your own table. Three varieties are currently offered from $1,849 to $3,499.

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