Soccer Tennis, Teqball, Sepak Takraw: The Evolution of The Beautiful Game
I love Soccer Tennis.
I think it can be the Pickleball or Spike Ball for Soccer.
A quick Google search will tell you Soccer Tennis was created in the 1920s / 30s in Czechoslovakia.
The first World Cup for Soccer Tennis was held in 1994 and is now organized by the world federation Union Internationale de Futnet (UNIF), which was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Prague.
I can’t remember the first time I played Soccer Tennis. It was either:
1. At the beach with friends. We wanted to play soccer but didn’t have nets, obviously, and didn’t want to chase the ball after passing through an imaginary goal.
So we decided to draw a box with our feet and a line through the middle and play Soccer Tennis.
Or,
2. I was at a tournament with my travel team, and we were in between games. One of my teammates suggested we play on the sidewalk. Using the break in the sidewalk as the net.
Regardless, I quickly fell in love.
Now, what I like most about the beach is playing Soccer Tennis, and I host Soccer Tennis tournaments throughout the year.
Expanding The Sport of Soccer
Depending on how you play, soccer tennis can either:
Make it easier for people to play and get involved with/into soccer, or
Attract a new audience to the game because it's a faster paced iteration of the sport that only elite athletes can compete in.
There’s a segment at the end of this My First Million episode that talks about how iterations to sports are the new wave. Two examples are something that makes a sport easier/more accessible for everyone (like Pickleball), or more difficult so only elite athletes can play (like Teqball… more on this below).
I agree.
For example, my Dad wouldn’t play any type of organized soccer. But he plays Soccer Tennis with us at the beach.
On the other hand, most people I play soccer with wouldn’t be able to play Teqball or Sepak Takraw (two versions of Soccer Tennis we’ll talk about below).
It’s faster paced, requires top-notch ball control, and overall more athleticism.
This iteration of the sport requires more elite athleticism which attracts a newer/wider audience because people like to watch special talent and fast-paced action.
The Business Opportunity In Soccer Tennis
As I started hosting Soccer Tennis Tournaments, I’ve been curious about the sport on a global level. And from a business perspective.
There’s many viral videos of different versions of soccer tennis being played.
You may have seen a version on ESPN.
So how big is this sport? What type of professional leagues or tournaments are there? How much money is it currently generating? What’s its growth rate?
Ya know, the usual questions.
We’ve seen things like Spike Ball and Pickleball blow up and become massive sports.
I think Soccer Tennis will do the same.
So I decided to do some research.
Spoiler alert: It is a big sport internationally. There’s still significant growth opportunities. I think it will explode within the next 2 years. Specifically in the US.
TEQBALL
Teqball seems to be the most mainstream, or popularized, iteration right now.
This is played on a curved (ping pong like) table. This is what you’ve possibly seen on ESPN.
Teqball was invented in 2014 in Hungary by three individuals:
Gábor Borsányi, a former professional football (soccer) player
György Gattyán, a businessman
Viktor Huszar, a computer scientist
Awesome combo.
The story goes, Borsányi was playing soccer tennis on a ping pong table but didn’t like how the ball had limited to no bounce given the horizontal design of the table. He thought if the table was curved, it could help the ball bounce more and make the game more enjoyable. He and Huszar started designing prototypes and in 2014 the first Teqball table was made.
It’s been rapid growth since then.
In 2016, Teqball was officially introduced in Budapest by football legend Ronaldinho (my personal GOAT).
In March 2017, the three co-founders established the International Federation of Teqball (FITEQ) as the governing body presiding over the sport and its parasport version.
FITEQ works in close cooperation with the Teqball brand owner, organizing competitions under the umbrella of the Teqball brand.
In 2018 FITEQ was officially recognised by the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA). This was also the year Teqball was dubbed “the world's fastest-recognised sport”.
There’s also a few sources that note the founders frequently state Teqball is one of the worlds fastest growing sports, which has not been verified.
The following year (2019) FITEQ was recognized by two more Olympic governing bodies: The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), and the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC).
Borsányi has stated in many interviews that their primary goal is to become an Olympic sport, with a specific eye towards the 2026 games in Los Angeles.
In November 2020, FITEQ was granted full membership of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
In 2022, FITEQ brought on USWNT legend, Cari Lloyd, as their first female ambassador. Brilliant move.
This is the year Teqball first collaborated with ESPN to air some of their major events.
The following year (2023), Teqball locked in a 2 year deal with ESPN reported to be worth $850,000.
In June 2024, Teqball boasts that the sport is “rapidly growing and has achieved remarkable success, captivating the hearts of over 5,000 players worldwide, establishing 156 national federations, and hosting six thrilling world championships.”
That’s an impressive 10 year run, and with the ESPN deal now in place, and the US serving as the hub of international football for the next 2-3 years, expect Teqball to explode.
If you wanna learn more about Teqball specifically in the US, check out US National Teqball Federation.
Sepak Takraw
The oldest form, and the OG of modern day Soccer Tennis is Sepak Takraw.
Over the years the sport has been referenced as Sepaktakraw, buka ball, Takraw, kick volleyball or foot volleyball.
The term "Sepak Takraw" is only used internationally to refer to the modern sport.
This is easily the hardest, most elite, iteration of the sport.
It’s played on something resembling a badminton court.
It’s governed internationally by the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF), which was formed in 1988. The ISTAF is responsible for major international tournaments including the ISTAF SuperSeries (ISS) and ISTAF World Cup (IWC), Malaysia's Khir Johari Cup, and Thailand's King Cup.
The origins of Sepak Takraw can be traced back over 1,500 years to Myanmar, where it was known as Chinlone.
Chinlone played a prominent role in Myanmar. It was first created as a demonstrative activity to entertain Burmese royalty. It’s heavily influenced by traditional Burmese martial arts and dance. Which makes sense if you've ever seen viral clips of the sport.
In the 1740s, in Thailand, modern Sepak Takraw started to take shape.
The popularization of Sepak Takraw is mostly credited to three people from Jalan Patani, Penang.
In 1945 more badminton-like aspects were introduced to the game. This was presented by Hamin Mydin, and a local Sepak Raga sportsmen, Mohamad Abdul Rahman and Syed Yaacob. Together, they demonstrated Mydin’s new variation of “Sepak Raga Jaring” (Net Sepak Raga). This version was preferred because of its quicker pace, unique styles of kicking, and higher standard of athleticism it required.
In 1960 officials from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Myanmar met in Kuala Lumpur to agree on a name and standard rules for the game.
It was first introduced in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur as a medal event in 1965.
It’s now considered the national sport for Malaysia.
In the 1980s the sport continued to gain popularity across East Asian countries.
In 1988, the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) was formed by members of the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation (ASTAF).
In 1989 the sport officially made its way to the United States. Here’s a great article about recent events of the sport in the US and how the men’s team won a few gold medals.
It was recognised as the international governing body for the sport by the Olympic Movement in 1990.
The same year, Sepak Takraw was included as a medal sport at the Asian Games in Beijing.
Soccer Tennis
Soccer Tennis, though not as widely recognized as Teqball or Sepak Takraw, has a formal competitive structure.
The sport is governed by the Union Internationale de Futnet (UNIF), which oversees major tournaments, including the biennial World Cup, first held in 1994.
UNIF, established in 2010, serves as the international governing body for Soccer Tennis, promoting the sport in over 25 member countries. It organizes global competitions and works to standardize the rules to foster wider participation.
The Soccer Tennis Federation (STF) is also advancing the sport by planning the launch of a professional league and utilizing Soccer Tennis for community outreach and youth development. It’s worth noting these plans stated a professional league would launch by 2024 and there hasn’t been any updates on such a league at the time of writing this.
2026 and Beyond
With the 2026 World Cup coming to the US, and the first ever FIFA Club World Cup taking place in the US in 2025, expect to see the popularity of soccer skyrocket in North America.
It’s already starting.
Thanks in large part to David Beckham. As the owner of Inter Miami, a fairly new MLS club, Beckham signed Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez, and Jordi Alba.
This move alone has resulted in the MLS getting millions and millions of more views and rising in popularity.
As with most things, a rising tide raises all boats.
As soccer becomes more popular across the US, different variations of the game will inevitably become more popular as well.
Soccer tennis, and all its variations, will likely be the greatest benefactor.
Teqball and Sepak Takraw already have a strong foundation. They just need more mainstream attention across the US.
However, these two iterations are for elite athletes. It’s not something anyone/everyone can do. Which is great from a new spectator perspective. But not so much for getting new/more people playing the game.
This is where I think Soccer Tennis, played on a Pickleball or Tennis court, will thrive.
It offers the best of both worlds. This variation of the sport can be slowed down to a very beginner level, allowing almost anyone to participate and have fun. While at the same time, it can be very fast paced and competitive for more elite athletes.
I think Pickleball also helped the cause because of the surge in Pickleball courts across the US. It makes playing the game more accessible now.
Let’s Talk Numbers
In 2023, the Pickleball market was valued at $1.5 billion. It’s expected to reach $4.4 billion by 2033.
This 2023 report found nearly 50 million adults have played pickleball in the past 12 months.
Those are impressive numbers.
Looking at Spikeball, this report has 4 million people playing.
For comparison, Real Madrid, a single team in the football (soccer) world is valued at more than $6B. That’s one team worth more than the entire Pickleball market.
According to this Forbes article, the revenue across the Top 30 global football (soccer) teams averages almost $400M per team.
Research suggests that there are over 240M registered players world wide, with a fan base of over 3B people.
To do Pickleball numbers, it would mean about 1.6% of football (soccer) fans getting involved in some iteration of Soccer Tennis. That isn’t taking into account new fans or players that these iterations attract themselves.
Based on law of averages, I’d bet Soccer Tennis towers over Spike Ball and likely beats Pickleball numbers.
I also think the passion from the football (soccer) community is unmatched.
Football (soccer) culture is unlike anything else.
If this comes to fruition, it would mean the business opportunity for Soccer Tennis is in the tens of millions of dollars, on the conservative end.
The right media deals, more strategic endorsements, and the sport could get a lot bigger.
I’ve been saying this for a few years now: The time to get into soccer, from a business perspective, is now.
The problem is, many people are thinking the same thing. As a result, you’ve seen the price of professional club ownership skyrocket.
For example, in 2020 you could start a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team for $2 million - $5 million. Now, only 4 years later, that price is over $53 million.
A significant difference.
The good news. People who really know and understand the game, the culture, and the community know there are other opportunities for the game to grow and evolve beyond a professional team.
I think being involved, or growing the business behind Soccer Tennis, Teqball, or Sepak Takraw, is an opportunity for lower cost to entry with significant upside.
Rant over.
I’m excited to see how this plays out.