Eddie Lewis understands just what an exciting World Cup can do for the growth of soccer in the United States.
The former midfielder played for the United States in two World Cups during his 14-year professional career. Now he’s investing in the game and its growth potential as founder and president of Toca, which owns and operates soccer training facilities nationwide. Toca expanded into a 95,000-square-foot building in Naperville in 2021 and is looking to add facilities elsewhere in the suburbs.
“The growth of soccer has been enormous,” Lewis said. “There’s probably 10 different TV metrics I could point to that would confirm that. But the fact that the generation like myself now is really the first generation of season-ticket holders, if you will, parents that actually played soccer, both moms and dads that have a history and a connection to the game, bringing their kids to the game, is a really strong driver. In many soccer families the mom is the best soccer player, which is unique to a lot of sports and goes a long way. “
Like the American game, Toca is actively looking to grow. Lewis said Toca’s revenue doubled year-over-year in 2022 and is projected to increase 120% in 2023, “depending on the number of acquisitions we take on.”
There were 35 Toca facilities throughout the country as of Wednesday, but Lewis said that number could grow to 39 by the end of the month. The company added 25 facilities so far in 2022, he said.
“We’re really aggressively looking to do the same next year,” Lewis added.
In Naperville Toca found one of the best soccer communities in the suburbs. Youth clubs are strong in Naperville, and the high school programs are too. It made sense as a good place to plant the company’s corner flag in the suburbs.
Naperville won’t be the last place in the suburbs that a Toca facility opens, Lewis said. He sees the suburbs as a fertile market with an excellent soccer demographic and good foot traffic.
Toca, a word used to describe a style of play, sought to build on its growth through the World Cup. In Naperville it held watch parties for the first United States game of the tournament, vs. Wales, as well as the final featuring France and Argentina. The fans who packed the Naperville facility for the watch parties came from all over the suburbs, despite the 9 am kickoff time for last week’s final.
“The watch parties were a great example of how people were willing to travel to be a part of the event and that is always good for us in terms of exposure,” he said.
The watch parties were also a great opportunity to attract customers who appreciate soccer culture.
“For most of our existence we’ve really been focused on training and kids programs and leagues to a certain extent, and the ability to step into the culture side a little bit more has been fun,” Lewis said. “And if you go into our centers and spend any time there, they really do become almost soccer community centers, if you will. So the idea that this really soccer-specific place was hosting these big viewing parties and watch events for people to come to that everyone knew there is really into soccer … for us it was just a huge opportunity and really has driven a lot of new additional traffic.”
While there are many youth clubs in the area, there is a huge supply of soccer players and a dearth of indoor facilities like Toca. There aren’t many soccer bars in the suburbs, places where fans can go to watch a game and enjoy the camaraderie of other soccer fans. Toca offers a place where men and women can go play a game, then stay to talk about it over a drink and a bite to eat.
And the potential for growth should increase as soon as 2026. That’s when the World Cup will return to North America, to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994, resulting in a huge boost in the number of soccer players and fans in the United States. Major League Soccer played its first season two years later.
“The soccer market is much more mature today than it was then,” Lewis said, “but there’s still a ton of people that are still relatively unexposed to the sport and I think it’s a great opportunity to not just showcase the sport itself but really the culture and fandom around it, which I think is probably some of the most attractive parts to people.”
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