Those who’ve walked by Montclair Brewery on a Wednesday evening may hear the sounds of bags hitting a board, dogs milling about, and friendly — but competitive — chatter. Those are the noises of Montclair’s very first social cornhole league, which is now five seasons running. Keep reading for all of the details on the weekly, seasonal cornhole league hosted at Montclair Brewery.
(Photo credit: Matt Cristaldi)
How it Started
The league was started in the summer of 2021 by Montclair residents Meredith and Matt Cristaldi.
Matt told The Montclair Girl, “We started the cornhole league for a few reasons, but the main driver was to help bring people together after a tumultuous 18 months of the pandemic. This was about when the first set of vaccines were being released to the public. We wanted the league to be a sort of celebration.”
(Photo credit: Matt Cristaldi)
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At the time, there were social cornhole leagues in Hoboken, Jersey City, and Morristown, but none in the Montclair area, so Meredith and Matt pitched the idea to Montclair Brewery. The owners, Denise and Leo Sawadogo, were eager to start holding events again and get people coming back to the brewery. Together, they worked on a strategy to execute the registrations, outreach, and marketing materials.
“The response for the first season was fantastic — energy was high, spirits were high, it was a fun time,” said Matt. “Meredith is also very creative, so we had a lot of fun making it more than just a cornhole league. We had singles signing up who just moved from NYC, couples who started dating and wanted to do something fun, groups of friends, married couples — it was super exciting.”
(Photo credit: Matt Cristaldi)
The first season started with eight teams, and after that, people wanted to keep it going. Matt collected feedback from players and made tiny improvements, like new boards with lights, better quality bags, a player discount at the bar, and more.
The league was, and still is, beneficial for the local businesses around the brewery as well. The cornhole teams drive traffic to the local restaurants and food trucks, and each team picks a Montclair charity of their choice to support through the league submission fee.
What to Expect
The league is eight weeks total: a seven-week regular season followed by one week of playoffs. Games kick off (or toss-off, really) every Wednesday at 6:45PM.
In terms of gameplay, it’s fairly casual to match the atmosphere. The league’s organizer, now Chris Micelli, emails the teams each week with the matchups and weather report (rain delays can happen) so people know what to expect.
(Photo credit: Matt Cristaldi)
Then, it’s up to individual teams to figure out how they want to pair up to take on their opponents. The league follows regular cornhole scoring rules, and each week, teams play one match consisting of three sets and three games per set.
“People seem to really like the balance of friendly competition and neighborly recreation that we’ve achieved,” said Chris. “Don’t get me wrong, of course everyone wants to win and the playoffs can get intense, but the typical week’s competitive mood is really light and fun!”
(Photo credit: Matt Cristaldi)
This was Matt’s vision for the league, and he’s proud to see that’s continued for five seasons now. “I think one of the main reasons people keep coming back is the fun, less competitive atmosphere, which is exactly what we wanted,” Matt shared. “My vision for this league wasn’t to build the next ESPN competition, but instead, build an inviting and fun atmosphere to play cornhole, drink beer, and hang with friends, whether you have two or four legs.”
Current + Upcoming Seasons
The current season, which kicked off at the end of April, is the biggest season so far with 10 teams competing.
“Now we’re seeing more and different teams and individuals sign up so the word is spreading,” Matt shared with MG. “We still have our regular teams and I hope we never lose them, but it’s nice to see other teams show up to bring a different level of competition and atmosphere to the league.”
People can sign up as a free agent or as a team of 6 to 10 people, and free agents will be assigned a team. The teams are kept this size so that everyone can go on vacation or tend to other commitments without feeling locked into the eight weeks. The registration fee is $150 per team or $25 per free agent.
(Photo credit: Matt Cristaldi)
The organizers encourage free agent sign-ups. What starts as a random group of individuals could end up as a team that returns season to season (true story).
The championship prize includes a $150 donation to the winning team’s Montclair non-profit of choice, a free round of beer for the whole team, and a $25 gift card to Brick & Dough.
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As for the future of the league, Chris has high hopes. “We’re always looking to add more players and teams, and the brewery’s beer garden can definitely fit another set of boards or two. We’ve also been considering a single-day doubles tournament for those players who really relish competition and everyone who wants to come cheer them on!”
The summer/fall season is set to run late July until mid-September, with sign-ups opening on the brewery’s website in early July.
