ACL Players Guide

ACL Players Guide for the 22/23 Season

The American Cornhole League (ACL) encourages social and competitive play for all ages and all skill levels. The ACL software makes managing tournaments, leagues and custom events easy and provides the critical infrastructure for a statistical database for the sport. Becoming a player allows you to compete against people of your same skill level and always gives you an opportunity to see how you stack up against the best of the best.

ACL Divisions / Skill Levels

ACL player divisions are intended to group players of similar skill levels together for competitive and social play. It is important that players read this players guide, review and establish their Skill Level. This enables a player to know where they stand and compete against players of similar skill level. Conference/Regional Directors may override a Skill Level if they feel a player is sandbagging.  The current ACL Skill Rating Levels include:

• ACL Pro Division / Skill Level
  • ACL Pro means that you have achieved the highest skill level in the sport and have accepted the terms laid out by the ACL to become an ACL Pro.
  • ACL Pro players must play in the Open division at Open, Conference and Regional events.
  • (PPR Range: > 9) – PPR stands for Points Per Round which is a players average points per round during game play

• Open Division
  • NEW this season is the “Open Division” which as the name implies is Open to anyone from Pro level players down to Novice level players (similar to how the Advanced division was in the past). This is NOT a skill level, rather it’s a new division that allows directors to combine Pros and Advanced players and will offer maximum points towards player rankings. 

• Advanced Division / Skill Level
  • NEW this season the Advanced Division will NOT allow Pro’s to play in the division at Open, Conference and Regional events. However, not all areas will offer both an Open Division and an Advanced division. In those areas there will simply be an Open division and no Advanced division. There can certainly be top level players in the Advanced Skill Level who have not yet earned/accepted the ACL Pro Player Title.
  • This player can execute sliding the bag and airmailing the bag as needed. Player fully understands game strategy and likely plays and practices on a regular basis.
    (PPR Range: > 8.2 – 9)

• Competitive Division / Skill Level
  • The Competitive Division is intended for players who are good, but not quite ready for the Advanced level. For areas that have a lot of depth at the top end of players, it makes sense for a Director to offer Open/Advanced and Competitive Divisions for Local, Regional and Conference tournaments.
  • This player fully understands game strategy, but may struggle with consistency. At times this player looks like they can beat anyone, but then in a subsequent game or round can struggle. (PPR Range: 7.2 – 8.2)

• Intermediate Division / Skill Level
  • The Intermediate Division is for players that enjoy playing casually but are competitive enough to beat the Novice level players. Players can enjoy the sport and events without having to play the top players.
  • This player has a feel for the distance needed to toss the bag, but can be erratic in getting the bag to consistently be in the middle of the board. This level of player is working on developing a consistent pitch. (PPR Range: 6.2 – 7.2)

• Novice Division / Skill Level
  • The Novice Division is intended for beginners and large events that have a lot of Intermediate players.
  • This player has limited experience with the game and usually has very little control over where the bag is going. (PPR Range: < 6.2)

ACL Pro

To become an ACL Pro means that you have achieved the highest skill level in the sport and are able to compete in guaranteed prize pool broadcast events. ACL Pros earn money by competing in ACL events and obtaining sponsors.

For full details about being an ACL Pro or Qualifying to be an ACL Pro in the 2023-2024 season please read How To Earn A Pro Spot

Player Types

Players are responsible for updating their type in their ACL Player Profile.

• Juniors – 17 and under as of August 31st, 2023
• College – Undergraduate College Students (Full Time or Part Time)
• Adult – 18 and over as of August 31st, 2023 (who are not College Eligible)
• Senior – 55 and over as of August 31st, 2023

ACL Events

ACL Player Events are created based on the following:

• Area – Local, Regional, Conference, Open, Pro Nationals, Pro Shootout Qualifiers
• Division – Pro, Advanced, Competitive, Intermediate, Novice
• Special – Pro Shootout and other special events
• Charity – Charity events integrated with the ACL

Directors may set up events specific to other criteria like Gender, Skill Level, and ACL Player Type. Not all of these event types are currently supported by the ACL software but anything that impacts the Overall Competitive ACL Open Standings is supported.

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