Americans Frankie Diaz and Carolyn Greco are two of the world’s best teqball players, regularly appearing on the podium as individuals and as a mixed doubles team. As a pairing both on and off the field of play, the couple offer a unique insight into the life of a professional teqball player.

What is the life of a professional teqball player like?

 Frankie: It’s something we couldn’t have imagined. We left our soccer careers and then teqball came, it’s been so amazing to travel and meet people all over the world, compete and make money. It’s been such a beautiful thing.”

Carolyn: It’s cool to be at the forefront of an emerging sport. Teqball is super competitive and if you have a soccer background you’re naturally going to want to play and enjoy the sport. A big highlight was the World Championships 2021, it was great to share the stage with Natalia Guitler who I looked up to for a very long time.

You’re partners both on and off the field, what is that like?

 Frankie: We’re always on such a high. The sport demands so much energy, practice, and focus, and so does a relationship. It’s a unique position being a professional athletic team and also a couple. It’s the thrill of a lifetime.

Carolyn: It’s a unique partnership, it can be challenging – we could be fighting earlier in the day and then we have to compete together later, it’s not like it just goes away. It’s a really great experience.

What inspired you to start playing teqball?

 Frankie: A friend introduced me to teqball in LA, I then got all my friends and Carol involved and the community just started growing from there. The sport has so much to offer – it’s not a typical sport, it’s new, fresh, and exciting.

Carolyn: When we first started playing, we didn’t have a facility, so we were just playing outside and on the beach which was beautiful – especially in LA. It was like street soccer culture, but it was teqball.

Can you tell us about your weekly training regime?

 Frankie: Our training facility is a little far from our home, but we try to make it every day. It’s such a blessing to be able to visit the Teqball HQ in Hungary too.

Carolyn: We both work other jobs too, so it’s important that we find times that align with our availability. We like to train for a few hours a day and pay attention to our nutrition. I’ve always been really big on exercising outdoors and making sure I get sun and that I’m taking in enough water…kind of like a living plant!

Teqball is growing very fast in the USA, why do you think this is?

 Frankie: There’s always great tournaments popping up in LA and Miami, and I hear there will be future events in New York, New Jersey, Dallas. So, they’re doing a good job of pushing events in the USA and getting more people involved which is very exciting.

Tell us about your own US clubs!

 Carolyn: We started BellaTeq and Legacy with the idea that they would be sister clubs. BellaTeq is a women’s club, but then obviously there’s also mixed doubles so Frankie started our men’s club Legacy. We found that our players would play with each other between the two clubs a lot, so we started ‘The FC’ – our own mixed doubles club.

What are your goals in the sport?

 Frankie: We’re just enjoying trying to grow as athletes. We visited Budapest to level up and gain a better understanding of the kinds of players we are. Our short-term goal is to enjoy it and grow, to work really hard and compete in every tournament we possibly can. Long term, we want to be Olympic USA representatives and take home gold.

Where do you see teqball in 10 years?

 Frankie: At the pace it’s growing, super rapid, I see teqball being an Olympic sport. Honestly, I’ve seen the growth and I truly believe it will be an Olympic sport in 10 years and I believe that every country in the world will be playing teqball and have a federation. I’m just super excited to see it ten years from now.

Carolyn: I genuinely love the sport. I think that when you’re a soccer player and a competitor you will naturally gravitate towards this. It’s growing infinitely fast and it will be an Olympic sport.

Watch the full video here.