Help! Tarp on the way.

Coach,
Make sure you don't leave the tarp on for more than 2 days without taking it off. It will kill your grass. Make sure the kids have a change of shoes. Metal spikes and tarps don't mesh well. Also Make sure you have an area to take the tarp off and the area will accept a lot of water. The water on the tarp has to go somewhere.

Rehearse/practice putting on/off. You need sandbags or something similar to hold done edges. How will you store it when not in use? Rolled onto a culvert like cylinder?

As Flintoide stated, rehearse putting it on and taking it off. You may want to watch a local college or pro team as to how they roll it out, unfold it, and move the tarp. You will need to know where you will be dumping the water when you take it off and make sure there is proper drainage in that part of the field or it will be a problem.

How to care for the tarp will determine how long it last. Dumb question, you also are getting a "tube" to roll the tarp onto.....

You will also need to have some type of notification system for the players to come and take the tarp off during the day (it is not a two man job), at lunch, or the morning so you can let the field air out and you can prepare the field to be played on.

Also, you need to constantly check the weather forecast carefully to determine when to put the tarp on or chance it and leave it off.

Thanks for the advice so far! I have the appropriate sized culvert to roll the tarp on and s spot to drain the tarp....if the tarp will be pulled off into left field, will it need to be stored down the left field line? Would that be the most practical? What I am wondering specifically is how the tarp is taken off and folded before rolling it up for storage.

Our tarp folds 4 times before it can be rolled up on the pipe we have. We fold both ends to the middle and then two more times to the middle. Seems to work best to keep water out of it when in storage on the roll. Also provides a high spot in the middle of the tube which makes it easier to turn and store on the sidelines.

It also needs to be rolled out occasionaly to air it self out and keep from getting mold on it.