Escalade Sports and the American Cornhole League (ACL), the worldwide governing body for professional, competitive and recreational cornhole, are pleased to announce that they have agreed to a long-term licensing partnership. This agreement provides Escalade Sports with the rights to make, sell, and distribute ACL COMP™ and ACL REC™ products to its expansive list of retail partners. Beginning in the summer of 2023, consumers will be able to purchase officially licensed boards and bags at participating retailers nationwide.
Since launching in 2016, the ACL has become one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with broadcast deals with ESPN and CBS/CBS Sports. The league’s tagline “Anyone can play, anyone can win” along with its ability to be played anywhere has the league on a fast track for success. The ACL hosts a variety of pro and amateur events, including its popular “SuperHole” series that pairs ACL Pros alongside celebrities for a made-for-TV experience. The ACL’s strong sponsor support includes Johnsonville along with Bush’s, Bacardi Spiced, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Discount Tire and AllCornhole.com, amongst others.
Founded in 1922, and headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, Escalade designs, manufactures and sells sporting goods, fitness, and indoor/outdoor recreation equipment. A multi-category manufacturer of consumer sporting goods and recreational products, Escalade brings its wealth of experience to this partnership. With an extensive client portfolio of 46 industry-leading brands, Escalade prides itself on developing successful relationships with retailers—from manufacturing, to product delivery, to retail merchandising.
“Our league is about providing a world-class cornhole experience, whether for one of our pros competing or a fan looking for the ultimate backyard setup,” said Stacey Moore, Founder of American Cornhole League. “That’s why we chose to partner with Escalade Sports – their commitment to manufacturing excellence means consumers can play cornhole with equipment identical to the pros and practice the shots they see on ESPN. At the ACL, our motto is that anyone can play, and anyone can win and our partnership with Escalade Sports helps us to deliver on that vision.”
“Escalade Sports is excited to bring our industry knowledge and commitment to excellence to our partnership with the ACL,” said Nick Martin, GM at Escalade Sports. “The ACL has done an amazing job of building the game of cornhole into a legitimate, competitive sport. We are looking forward to leveraging our manufacturing capabilities and retail partnerships to bring authentic, tournament-quality cornhole products to a much broader audience.”