We have spring soccer season in full swing and we've already marked the fields twice. We use spray paint and Rust-Oleum striping machines. We use the Rust-Oleum striping and marking paint straight off the hardware store shelves. Fortunately our hardware store gives us a pretty good break and we get it at cost.
But we just painted last Thursday and they need it again. I'm not sure they'll make it to Friday afternoon after the city mows so they'll be nice for the weekend.
Do any of you have any experience in this sort of endeavor? Maybe a paint that will last longer? I think with our lack of rain the Bermuda hasn't even fully gotten going yet, despite the sprinkler system. I'd like to switch to a full on line striping machine that uses buckets of paint, but that $1,500-$2,000 is not in our soccer association budget any time soon.
Any ideas? Thank you!

Not exactly what you asked for, but you did ask for ideas.

Don't know your association, but if $1500-$2000 is the difference in an OK solution vs. the right solution, just ask. I have 5 or 6 families on my team that would write a check if asked. Most big companies will match donations also.

Raising money for kids isn't nearly as tough as some think it is, especially if you have some business owners who's kids play.

I agree with this. We commonly raise over 50K per year for our high school baseball team annually. It's about asking folks to help out youth sports. Other programs around us raise less because they aren't as creative or are afraid to ask. We held an online fundraiser this year that got $30k just for asking people.

We would mark our practice field with a pump sprayer and diesel. I don't know the property situation. The grass comes back after the season.

Back in my youth, they threw a backpack sprayer full of diesel on me and told me to get after it. Paint might be cheaper at the moment.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Back in my youth, they threw a backpack sprayer full of diesel on me and told me to get after it. Paint might be cheaper at the moment.

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I was about to post to use diesel.

In HS, our rivals spelled out what they're going to do to us on our field and practice field in diesel at the beginning of the season, and it was there for months. Even the smell lingered for weeks. Joke was on them because we smeared them at the end of the season.

levimod said:

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We have spring soccer season in full swing and we've already marked the fields twice. We use spray paint and Rust-Oleum striping machines. We use the Rust-Oleum striping and marking paint straight off the hardware store shelves. Fortunately our hardware store gives us a pretty good break and we get it at cost.
But we just painted last Thursday and they need it again. I'm not sure they'll make it to Friday afternoon after the city mows so they'll be nice for the weekend.
Do any of you have any experience in this sort of endeavor? Maybe a paint that will last longer? I think with our lack of rain the Bermuda hasn't even fully gotten going yet, despite the sprinkler system. I'd like to switch to a full on line striping machine that uses buckets of paint, but that $1,500-$2,000 is not in our soccer association budget any time soon.
Any ideas? Thank you!

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I painted baseball fields with the same product and it would last a week, but the great thing about a baseball field is I only had 2 lines to mark.

Waste of good money. Speaking as a soccer official we ignore lines. We also ignore fouls, balls in the net for goals, balls hitting hands and offside.

Yeah I watched the baseball guys do their spray paint lines in 5 minutes the other day on the two little league fields, just outfield of course.
Meanwhile our lines on the 11 soccer fields are about a mile and a half including boxes.

mosdefn14 said:

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Not exactly what you asked for, but you did ask for ideas.

Don't know your association, but if $1500-$2000 is the difference in an OK solution vs. the right solution, just ask. I have 5 or 6 families on my team that would write a check if asked. Most big companies will match donations also.

Raising money for kids isn't nearly as tough as some think it is, especially if you have some business owners who's kids play.

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Surely you are right. We saw the difference in having an active fundraising board member this year.
I guess I need to know if we go that route that the paint will last a lot longer. The one good aspect of our spray paint machines is that we have three of them that can go at once and we aren't very concerned with inexperienced people using them since they cost $120. But if we get a high dollar machine there would probably only be 2-3 of us that could use it so we would have to do all the work. If it lasts half the season that would be ok, but even every two weeks is a lot when doing the whole set of fields with just a few of you.

Mathguy64 said:

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Waste of good money. Speaking as a soccer official we ignore lines. We also ignore fouls, balls in the net for goals, balls hitting hands and offside.

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Should have used the sunglasses emoji.

levimod,
Feel free to call me... 979-two one 8-59one nine

turfman80 said:

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levimod,
Feel free to call me... 979-two one 8-59one nine

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Based on the username, I would call this guy, OP. I would think he knows a thing or two about fields.

Aggieangler93 said:

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I agree with this. We commonly raise over 50K per year for our high school baseball team annually. It's about asking folks to help out youth sports. Other programs around us raise less because they aren't as creative or are afraid to ask. We held an online fundraiser this year that got $30k just for asking people.

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$50k per yr for a hs baseball team????

turfman80 said:

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levimod,
Feel free to call me... 979-two one 8-59one nine

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Thank you for talking it through with me and the good ideas!

Eliminatus said:

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turfman80 said:

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levimod,
Feel free to call me... 979-two one 8-59one nine

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Based on the username, I would call this guy, OP. I would think he knows a thing or two about fields.

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You're right. He does!

alvtimes said:

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Aggieangler93 said:

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I agree with this. We commonly raise over 50K per year for our high school baseball team annually. It's about asking folks to help out youth sports. Other programs around us raise less because they aren't as creative or are afraid to ask. We held an online fundraiser this year that got $30k just for asking people.

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$50k per yr for a hs baseball team????

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Yep...this year we had an above average year and we raised about $65K. But I am also at the oldest high school in the district and the only way we get any facility upgrades to a 50 year old facility, is with our own money. The District can't seem to fund their own lunch off the Mcdonalds 99 cent menu. So we do what we have to do. This year we replaced our entire outfield chain link fence (had fence and foul poles on the INSIDE of the fence) with a metal wall and located new foul poles outside the fence. It was a safety hazard before and now it looks and functions much better. Boosters paid around $40K, and district paid about $1200. So you can see why we have gotten really good at raising money. Also, we have put in about $12K in turf, enlarged bullpens, etc. Lots of volunteer sweat and volunteer donations to keep our program running.

We don't hold money long, as UIL rules prohibit us from having much on hand, but we purchase what we need quickly and keep projects moving. Our fundraising person is in IT sales and is very good at what she does. It takes 2 or 3 of us planning the projects to stay in front of her.

Aggieangler93 said:

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alvtimes said:

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Aggieangler93 said:

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I agree with this. We commonly raise over 50K per year for our high school baseball team annually. It's about asking folks to help out youth sports. Other programs around us raise less because they aren't as creative or are afraid to ask. We held an online fundraiser this year that got $30k just for asking people.

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$50k per yr for a hs baseball team????

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Yep...this year we had an above average year and we raised about $65K. But I am also at the oldest high school in the district and the only way we get any facility upgrades to a 50 year old facility, is with our own money. The District can't seem to fund their own lunch off the Mcdonalds 99 cent menu. So we do what we have to do. This year we replaced our entire outfield chain link fence (had fence and foul poles on the INSIDE of the fence) with a metal wall and located new foul poles outside the fence. It was a safety hazard before and now it looks and functions much better. Boosters paid around $40K, and district paid about $1200. So you can see why we have gotten really good at raising money. Also, we have put in about $12K in turf, enlarged bullpens, etc. Lots of volunteer sweat and volunteer donations to keep our program running.

We don't hold money long, as UIL rules prohibit us from having much on hand, but we purchase what we need quickly and keep projects moving. Our fundraising person is in IT sales and is very good at what she does. It takes 2 or 3 of us planning the projects to stay in front of her.

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kudos to ya'll parents for taking care of business...but your district should be flat out embarrassed!!!!

They have been embarrassing on a national level lately. Glad this is my last high school kid to go through. Used to be very proud to call this place home. Now, they have done their level best to ruin it with their reckless disregard for responsibility to elected office.

If you want the lines to look good it requires weekly painting at minimum. I'd advise against diesel unless you like the ideas of ruts on your field because eventually that is exactly what will happen. It's a tedious annoying process but not many options. And for the love of god use a string to have something to follow. Don't eyeball by going over the old line.

ETA: former Texas coach here with too much experience painting fields.

When my kids were little we had a striper that used powder. We would buy some big bags of flour at the grocery store and stripe with that.

Is your username a play on CS lore…?