While many restaurants and businesses have closed their doors due to the pandemic, sports have been hit particularly hard, with many sporting events being postponed until further notice. So, what can we expect from corn hole in 2021? Cornhole boards and bag manufacturers have seen a significant boom in sales since more people are spending time at home. While home cornhole competitions are fun and can bring families together for some much-needed quality time, many of the avid cornhole fans are eagerly awaiting the return of major cornhole competitions. Fortunately, cornhole appears to be back this year. The American cornhole League is hosting a wide variety of competitions in Bradenton FL and other parts of the country, in 2021, for the summer cornhole season.
ACO Championships
If you’ve been training hard, following the cornhole rules and competing in local competitions, the American Cornhole League Championships may be your ultimate goal.
Fortunately, the ACO Championships are back, thanks to declining COVID numbers all over the country. So, what can we expect from the championships this season?
In March, the American Cornhole Organization hosted a major tournament that included some of the top players in the sport. Additionally, the World Championships will be held in July on the 26th to the 31st. American Cornhole Majors is a two-day event, where the top players compete for a spot in the World Championships held in July.
Bradenton FL has been chosen to host three of the American Cornhole League Major Tournaments, in addition to one World Championship event. There’s also the possibility of a new Pro-Am Tournament that will take place every year. Currently, the city has festivities planned throughout the city during the tournaments, including beginner tournaments for the locals with boards and cornhole bags set up around town, food and drink, and other activities that are family-friendly. According to Elliot Falcione, the executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, “There is no better time to host a cornhole tournament then in 2021, as we’re coming out of a pandemic”.
Falcione went on to say, “We will be working closely with hotel owners who offer vacations after the tournament, giving participants in the tournament a chance to enjoy our city”.
Because of the pandemic, Manatee County hoteliers have been hit hard due to a significant drop in tourism.
The majority of the competition’s participants, their families, and cornhole fans that will be attending the event will come from out of state. Just the main tournament portion of the competition will bring over 150 players and the World Championship should bring in more than 350 players.
Of course, the impact from these competitions will be felt throughout the city, at beaches, attractions, bars, restaurants, and hotels. So, this will be a big deal for Floridians and local cornhole fans. Now that some sports organizations are beginning to slowly open their doors, cornhole fans can rest assured that the American Cornhole Organization will continue to promote a traditional full season, with more tournaments to come.
American Cornhole League Kickoff Battle 2021
The American Cornhole League World Championships will start in August at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in South Carolina. The Championships are open to the public and have a player capacity of 1024 players. There will be a total of four divisions of skill levels:
- Pro
- Advanced
- Competitive
- Intermediate
People can register for the 2021 American Cornhole League World Championships if they are Platinum American Cornhole members. Registration will begin on June 7th and remains open for a total of seven days. On June 14th, registration opens for gold American Cornhole League members. If there are still spots available, registration opens to anyone on June 21st.
Payouts
The payouts for the Advanced Division Tournament will begin at 70% of the entry fees collected.
Payouts for other divisions include:
Competitive Division Tournaments will be 60% of the entry fees, while the Intermediate Division will be 50% of the entry fees. Any cornhole tournaments that don’t have an assigned skill level will have a payout of 70% of the entry fees with the exception of the Sit-N-Go Blind Draws.
Registration
Registration for every event, including the American Cornhole League Pro Qualifier, with the exception of any blind draw events, will take place online. Blind Dry registration takes place during World Championship week and there is no pre-registration required for any Blind Draw events.
These events have a registration that will be open for two hours before the events begin and will be cash only.
Unlike conference and regional events where a player can play in a skilled division event above their player skill level profile, players are required to play in the skill division listed in their player profile for these events.
Tournament Schedule
July 8th
- Intermediate Crew Cup Shootout
- Competitive Crew Cup Shootout
- Intermediate Singles
- Competitive Doubles
July 3rd
- Intermediate doubles
- Blind draw
- Competitive singles
- Intermediate blind draw
- American Cornhole League blind draw
July 4th
- Women’s singles
- Senior singles
- Co-ed doubles
- Big blind draw
July 5th
- Women’s doubles
- Senior doubles
- Pro singles
- Advanced blind draw
July 6th
- Pro doubles
- Advanced crew cup shootout
- Advanced singles
- Pro blind draw
July 7th
- Pro crew cup shootout
- Advanced doubles
- ESPN broadcast
- ACL Conference Cup
- Big blind draw
July 8TH
- Pro Qualifier Group A
- Pro Qualifier Group b
2021 American Cornhole League Pro Qualifier
The Pro Qualifier is an intense competition that has limited spots available. These are the big leagues, where you’ll find the top players from all over the country competing for big cash prizes.
- Every season there are 256 American Cornhole League pro division spots available. The top 50 pro double teams and the top 100 pro single competitors from the past season will automatically qualify for the following seasons pro division. The top 24 players in the Open Standings, which excludes the American Cornhole League pros that qualified for the top 50 pro double teams, will qualify for the following seasons pro division.
- Let’s not forget about the 32 spots that are also reserved for the American Cornhole Leagues pro qualifications for the 2021.
- Any other remaining spots will be filled by the American Cornhole League pro application process that will be released during the summer.
Age Restrictions
The introduction of gambling lines in the sport means age restrictions for competitors. The American Cornhole League pro division is limited to no more than 8 pros that are under the age of 18. There are also four American Cornhole League pros who will need to meet this criterion for the 2022 season. With that being said, there are currently only four spots available for players that are under the age of 18 in the 2022 pro division. Top priority is given to the highest ranking Open Standing players in the top 24, which will be followed by the American Cornhole League Pro Qualifier.
Pro Qualifier Schedule
The 2021 tournament will be split into a couple of seasons, with one morning session and one afternoon session. A player will only need to register for one of these sessions.
Entry Fees
Entry into the pro qualifier is free for all current pros who want to qualify for the 2022 pro division if they do not already qualify. The costs of other aspiring pros will be $150 per player. If a competitor qualifies for the pro division via the pro qualifier, then $100 of the entry fee can be directly applied to their membership fee.
Tournament Format
For the 2021 American cornhole League Pro Qualifier, the format is a total of eight rounds of rounders. The American cornhole League rounders is a round robin format where the first match is played against a random opponent, with each subsequent match played against a player that has a similar or identical record.
The tiebreakers for competitors with identical records will be based on point differential. The best 32 players from both sessions will earn a place in the 2022 pro division.
Final Thoughts
It’s clear to potential competitors and fans alike that cornhole in 2021 is back. In fact, the American cornhole League is hosting competitions with tournaments in full swing and preparations for the 2022 cornhole season in full effect. Fortunately, there is still time for players of all skill levels to check their local listings for cornhole tournaments in their area, where they may still be eligible to enroll in an upcoming match. Of course, many of the top competitors and fans alike, are looking forward to the World Championships this summer, the large cash prizes, and the intense matches that will take place between the top cornhole players in the country.
