Rainout Policy and Caring for Wet Fields

Rainouts

SEPLL plays most of its games on fields controlled by Portland Parks & Recreation and is subject to its rules.

  • Portland Parks typically determines whether a specific field is rained out by 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and 1:30 p.m. on Sundays.
  • If you are unsure whether a field is playable, call the rainout line at 503-823-3020, ext. 4 (Listen carefully to the message to make sure it is up-to-date. It often is not. Also, sometimes the message list fields that are closed; sometimes it list fields that are playable.)
  • Tell your team you will contact them if game is rained out. This avoid being bombarded with emails/texts asking whether game is cancelled.
  • If games are played on fields closed by Portland Parks closes fields, SEPLL is at risk of fines and loss of permits. Even if Portland Parks does not cancel games, do not play if unsafe (e.g., baseball too slippery to control, field too slick to run safely).
  • Rescheduling games is up to coaches. Teams are not required to reschedule rained out games unless they play fewer than 12 games. All teams must play a minimum of 12 games.
  • It’s often convenient to reschedule during your regularly scheduled practice times.
  • Email schedule@sepll.org and president@sepll.org with the dates and times of rescheduled games so we can update the official schedule at www.sepll.org.

Standing Water on the Field

  • Do not sweep standing water.
  • Use a wet vac (your own) or large sponges (in equipment boxes) to soak up and remove water.
  • After removing standing water, work in turface. Do not use more than 2 bags of turface for a game. Do not use turface to make a field playable for practice.
  • If the field consists of soupy mud there is little that can be done except remove standing water and then wait for sun.
  • If your team plays the first game on a Saturday, please work the field even if it won’t be ready for your game. Then contact coaches for next game and let them know the status of the field. This helps out your fellow coaches by increasing the odds the field will be playable for later games.