So, our mat cover tore once this year. Straight down the middle. We did what any southern school would do...go straight to the duct-tape

One layer on the top of the hole, one layer on the bottom, crosses over, and then another layer. All in all, 2 rolls of duct tape.
However, that only lasted a season.
And now we have not one, but TWO, full tears...the mat cover isn't covering much anymore

[Well it does, if we pull it over well enough and put weights on top so it doesn't fly off...but before that, if it's windy, someone has to lay on the cover so that the hole is covered while we're putting the weights on.] and no, these aren't little spike holes. They're literally cover-long gashes running from the back to the front.
So...any more permanent, yet cheap, fixes?
"That's how God's Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset" Psalm 19:6