American Cornhole Organization

What American Cornhole Organization does

American Cornhole Organization (ACO), founded in 2005 by Frank Geers and headquartered in Camp Dennison, Ohio, is the self-described first and official governing body for the sport of competitive cornhole, with Wikipedia recognition as the founder of competitive cornhole. The organization operates a tiered competitive ecosystem anchored by the ACO Majors Tour (35-45 Major Points-Earning Tournaments per season held August through May across 25+ US states, Canada, and the UK), an annual ACO World Championships of Cornhole held the final full week of July, and a grassroots network of 550+ Regional Tournaments hosted monthly through the ACO Director program. Underlying operations rely on Scoreholio for tournament registration and bracket management, Shopify for e-commerce (memberships and merchandise), and YouTube/Facebook for live streaming of approximately 90% of Majors. ACO also publishes the TACO Podcast, Hole Nation weekly program, and HOLE Magazine yearbook as media extensions, generating 5M+ minutes of annual video viewership and 150,000+ monthly unique website visitors.

ACO serves four primary customer groups: competitive cornhole players (through tiered Starter/Player/World annual memberships), local tournament organizers (through the ACO Director channel program with primary-region rights), bag and equipment manufacturers (through the $2,500-$3,000 ACO Bag Partnership Program with 50+ certified manufacturers), and corporate sponsors (through Official Brand Partnerships in exclusive categories such as mortgage, whiskey, boards, and jerseys). Revenue mechanics include annual subscription memberships, per-tournament entry fees with membership discounts of 25-37.5%, bag partnership fees, brand sponsorship packages, and merchandise sales. The organization cites $2.3M in cumulative prize money awarded across 20 seasons, 212,298 monthly site hits, 20,633 monthly Google search clicks, and a $1B+ total cornhole industry as context for sponsor positioning.

ACO is privately held and founder-led, with Frank Geers serving as CEO and Tina Kandler as COO; family members occupy operational roles including Web Marketing (Ken Geers) and Event Registration (April Clemons). No external private equity, venture capital, or institutional investment ownership has been disclosed, and revenue figures are not publicly reported.

Name

American Cornhole Organization

Legal name

American Cornhole Organization

Website

https://americancornhole.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Cornhole Organization (ACO), founded in 2005, is the official governing body for competitive cornhole, sanctioning 45+ annual Majors and 550+ monthly Regional tournaments across the US, Canada, and UK. Revenue derives from tiered memberships, tournament entry fees, 50+ bag manufacturer partnerships, and Official Brand sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Governance and Tournament Management

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Combat Sports Sanctioning Bodies & Commissions (Boxing/MMA/Kickboxing) (MPAKAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Competitive cornhole tournaments
• Sports governing body
• Tournament sanctioning services
• Player membership programs
• Cornhole event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Camp Dennison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tournament Entry Fees: ACO generates revenue through tournament registration fees ranging from free (Juniors) to $160 (Doubles retail). Members receive discounts: Player Membership 25% off, World Membership 37.5% off entry fees.
2. Membership Subscriptions: ACO offers Starter, Player, and World membership tiers with tiered pricing and benefits. Membership is valid through ACO World Cornhole Day (last Saturday in July annually).
3. Bag Partnership Program: Bag manufacturers pay $2,500-$3,000 to become ACO bag partners, receiving website feature, giveaway access, live stream recognition, and unlimited bag submissions for approval.
4. Official Brand Sponsorship: Brands can become Official Product/Service Partner of Cornhole through exclusive category sponsorship, with opportunities for tournament sponsorship, live streaming sponsorship, prize sponsorships, jersey sponsorships, and booth vendor opportunities.
5. Merchandise Sales: ACO operates an e-commerce storefront selling official cornhole boards, approved bags, apparel, and gear through their Shopify store.
6. World Championships: Annual ACO World Championships of Cornhole held the last full week of July, featuring competition across multiple divisions with prize payouts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The American Cornhole Organization (ACO) operates as the official governing body for competitive cornhole, sanctioning a national tournament circuit that includes the ACO Majors Tour (35-45 Major events per season across the U.S., UK, and Canada), the annual ACO World Championships, and a network of 550+ Regional Tournaments per month. The organization sells tiered memberships (Starter, Player, World), licenses bag and brand partnerships, and offers certified equipment, officiating programs, and media streaming through the ACO Digital Network.

Product overview

The American Cornhole Organization operates a multi-layered competitive sports ecosystem centered on organized cornhole tournaments and player development. The core offering consists of the ACO Majors Tour (35-45 major tournaments per season across the U.S., UK, and Canada), the annual World Championships of Cornhole (the culminating season event), and a network of 550+ Regional Tournaments monthly. The membership program (Starter, Player, and World tiers) provides access to competition, ranking points, and prize payouts. Supporting products include the ACO Digital Network for live streaming, TACO Podcast and Hole Nation for media content, HOLE Magazine as the official season yearbook, and specialized programs like the Certified Officials and Directors Programs for grassroots expansion. The Bag Partnership Program connects approved bag manufacturers with the competitive community through official ACO branding and event access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACO Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• $2.3 million in prize money awarded over 20 ACO seasons
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ScoreholiocoreTechnology or IntegrationScoreholio is the official tournament registration and bracket management platform used by ACO for all Major tournaments and events. Players register through Scoreholio links for Singles, Doubles, Womens, Seniors, Juniors, and Coed divisions.
• 50+ Bag ManufacturerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBag manufacturers including 157 Bag Co, 724 Bagger Co, Allout Bags, Basement Bags, BD Bags, Big D, Elite Bags, Haggard Bags, and many more participate in the ACO Bag Partnership Program to gain official certification and marketing exposure. These manufacturers produce ACO-approved cornhole bags sold to competitive players.
• American Pacific MortgageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Mortgage Company of Cornhole. One of several Official Product/Service Partners designated by ACO.
• Ocoee River DistillingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Whiskey Partner of Cornhole. Designated Official Product/Service Partner category.
• Cornhole SolutionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial Boards Partner of Cornhole. Designated category partner for cornhole equipment.
• Glover DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Jerseys Partner of Cornhole. Designated category partner for apparel.
• ACO Directors (Tournament Organizers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal tournament organizers who join the ACO Director program to host official ACO Regional Tournaments. Directors receive primary region rights, access to ACO branding, website directory listing, and promotional support. The director network hosts 550+ regional tournaments monthly across the U.S.
• ASM GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue management company that manages several tournament venues including Branson Convention Center and Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
• Various Convention Centers and Sports FacilitiesminorOthersPartnerships with venues such as Owensboro Convention Center, Salt Palace Convention Center, Spooky Nook Sports, Glass City Center, and others that host ACO Major tournaments throughout the season.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA): Established governing body for competitive disc golf with membership tiers, certified officials, world rankings, and a multi-tier national tour plus world championship. PDGA is a structural analog for ACO's evolution path from grassroots tournament organizer to sanctioned national sport authority.
• American Poolplayers Association (APA): Largest amateur pool league in North America with a franchise-style director network, tiered memberships, regional and national championships, and equipment/league sponsorships. APA's league-operator business model closely parallels ACO's ACO Director regional tournament network.
• USA Pickleball: National governing body for another emerging competitive amateur sport. USA Pickleball mirrors ACO's structure—tiered memberships, certified officials, official rule book, regional tournament networks, and sponsor partnerships—serving the same club-based recreational athlete demographic.

Others

• Scoreholio: ACO's core tournament registration and bracket-management platform integrated across the Majors Tour and Regionals. Functions as enabling technology infrastructure rather than a competitor; comparable to how sports-tech rails underpin digital operations across amateur sport governing bodies.

Direct peers

• American Cornhole League (ACL): The leading competing professional cornhole league and sanctioning body in the U.S. ACL runs parallel tournament circuits, televised finals, and corporate sponsorships that directly compete with ACO's Majors Tour, World Championships, and Official Brand partnerships.

Emerging players

• USA Ultimate: National governing body for ultimate frisbee with member leagues, certified officials, national championship events, and college/youth divisions. Shares ACO's community-driven sport-governance DNA, with comparable membership-based funding and event-anchored revenue.
• Major League Pickleball: Premier professional pickleball tour with team-based franchise competition, sponsorships, and media rights. MLP represents the pro-tier commercialization trajectory that ACO could pursue for its Pro Series Skins events and World Championships as cornhole matures.

Regional players

• USA Bocce Federation: U.S. governing body for bocce ball that runs sanctioned national tournaments, membership programs, and standard rulebooks. Compares to ACO as a niche amateur sport governing body reliant on membership fees, tournaments, and equipment partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCh8YwP0Rx0deu1ODMeYdFTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/americancornhole
• Instagraminstagram.com/americancornholeorganization
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-cornhole-aco-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Cornhole Organization