Walking your fields daily is the first step in providing the safest, most playable sports fields for athletes. Also, this short daily routine will help keep fields manageable and will reduce some of the struggles of field maintenance. A little dedication is all it takes to significantly improve the condition of a problem sports field.

Maintenance should be performed immediately following field use, leaving it in good condition for the next day. Your field should be in the same shape for practice as for games. Inconsistencies can lead to errors and you lose the home field advantage.

A key to success is getting others involved in maintaining the field. As the old saying goes, "Many hands do light work." Assign each player certain responsibilities that he/she must accomplish everyday. Give parents incentives to participate in the field’s maintenance. Be creative. The more people involved, the more work will get done to the field.

Teach coaches, players and any interested party how to execute a daily or pre-game routine that includes a field safety walk. By walking and working the field on a daily basis, problems can be spotted before they put athletes in danger or jeopardize the quality of play.

Slowly walk the entire field before every practice or game. Look for the following hazards:

• Rocks on the field, both skinned areas and turf
• Sprinkler heads that have not retracted
• Burrows or other holes in the turf
• Damaged fencing
• Loose base anchors
• Glass
• Lip build up

Make sure the playing surface and foul territory are at a good slope, manicured and free of debris. Remove objects or obstacles that will interfere with play if at all possible. If an obstacle cannot be relocated or removed, make sure it is well marked with a visible color and padded to reduce injury if a player runs into it.

Another hazard that is unfortunately becoming more prominent is vandalism. It cannot be ignored that some hazards are intentionally created to cause harm. Such hazards are usually the most difficult to locate, so be alert! Keep young athletes safe.

Pay particular attention to the irrigation system as many of its components are in the field of play:

• Clean the heads and make sure they retract after use. Replace heads that are not providing a good spray pattern and if cleaning the heads does not help them retract every time, replace with new ones.
• Make sure the heads are buried to the proper level to avoid interference with play. Heads installed too low are also a tripping hazard and will collect water around the head.
• Relocate valve boxes to avoid interference with play.
• To avoid vandalism, try to protect and lock the irrigation controls.

Make note of parking lots where the sun can reflect off cars, office buildings, and any light background in the batter’s line of sight behind the pitcher. Locate the field if possible to take into account where the sun rises and sets to avoid players looking directly at the sun during games.

If you can fix the problem, do so prior to starting play. If the correction will take longer or requires more resources, write down and photograph any issue you see and report this to the field manager, park district or league director.