Founded in 2015, the American Cornhole League (ACL) promotes and develops cornhole as a sport for all ages and skill levels. The organization establishes the rules and regulations to govern the sport around the world. And while it does offer more than 30,000 tournaments a year, its message is simple: Anyone Can Play, Anyone Can Win.
Sports Destination Management: Cornhole is really popular. How do most people come to the sport?
Trey Ryder: It is 100 percent different for everyone; every player has a story. Some people said they saw it at a graduation party, a tailgate or a family barbecue. Others saw it being played in bars; a lot of bars have leagues, and they happened to be there on a league night.
SDM: What makes it so popular?
Ryder: It’s a pretty simple game. People realize it’s just plain fun to play, and that everyone is having a good time doing it. And in reality, if you want to play, you can do it for fun at a party, you can join a league or you can even travel around the country playing in tournaments.
SDM: Is it easy for people to find and register for tournaments?
Ryder: It is. Between October 2022 and August 2023, we ran more than 30,000 tournaments. There are tournaments for all ages and all skill levels. If people want to find tournaments, they can go to the event section on our website and look up something close to them. If they want to scope out local directors in their area, they can do that too.
SDM: What are the demographics like for those who participate?
Ryder: Right now, we are putting a lot of time and energy, as well as money, into growing our female player base, since the sport is currently about 75 percent male. We would like to change that.
SDM: How much money is there in professional cornhole for those who play at a high level?
Ryder: Some of our largest tournaments award $50,000 to the first-place winners. Plus, those players are usually sponsored so they take in revenue on top of that.
SDM: Do you get media coverage?
Ryder: Yes, we have network deals, and we have been featured on ESPN.
SDM: You’ve put on some really big tournaments.
Ryder: Yes, we have. Our ACL Worlds are held in Rock Hill, South Carolina; that is a huge, nine-day event with players coming in from across the country and around the world. They see eight-figure economic impact every year.
SDM: What are you looking for in a tournament host?
Ryder: The bulk of our tournaments take place indoors to protect against the weather. In terms of playing surface, our only requirement is that it be flat. We have used turf, gym floors, concrete, etc. Big open spaces work best for us. For the larger tournaments, we need between 50,000 and 80,000 square feet of space. We’ll go in and set up between 64 and 80 sets of cornhole boards. For events that are going to be broadcast, arenas work best. When we come in to put on an event, we bring all our equipment with us; all people have to supply is their own tables and chairs.
SDM: You’ve talked about cornhole being inclusive.
Ryder: Yes, there really are players of every age and skill level. We have one player who is a quadruple amputee and here is playing a professional sport without limitations. Our tournament directors can adapt the rules, given players’ challenges, though. We also work with a lot of senior tournaments, not because there are limitations on those players but because it is a sport that is very welcoming. We’re also seeing more and more juniors in the game; one 11-year-old in particular has been doing well. Really, we have a spot for everyone, from someone who plays at a tailgate to someone who wants to make it a full-time career. SDM
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