A technical area in

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

is an area which a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a match. The technical area includes the dugout, bench and a marked zone adjacent to the pitch.

History

Old Trafford Technical Area Alex Ferguson Sam Allardyce

The first football stadium to feature a dugout was

Pittodrie Stadium Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen F.C. since they were ...

, home of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, where dugouts were introduced by trainer

Donald Colman Donald Cameron Cunningham (14 August 1878 – 4 October 1942), known as Donald Colman, was a Scottish football player and coach (or trainer) in the early years of the 20th century, most notably for Aberdeen. His career in senior football did n ...

in the 1920s. He wanted a place to take notes and observe his players (especially their feet, hence the reason for being set partially below pitch level) without sacrificing the shelter provided by a

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

. The defined space of the technical area was established in the notes section of the Laws of the Game in 1993.The Technical Area
Laws of the Game, FIFA

Operation

The technical area is marked by a white line, varying in size but always "1m (1yd) on either side of the designated seated area and extend ngforward up to a distance of 1m (1yd) from the touch line", according to the Laws of the Game. Managers may not cross the line during play, which restricts them from approaching the pitch. In 1999, FIFA put the

fourth official In association football, an assistant referee (previously known as a linesman or lineswoman) is an official empowered with assisting the referee in enforcing the Laws of the Game during a match. Although assistants are not required under the La ...

in charge of enforcing this rule, although substitutes may

warm up 'Warming up' is a part of stretching and preparation for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand, usually undertaken before a performance or practice. Athletes, singers, actors and others warm up before s ...

along the side of the pitch.

References

{{reflist Association football terminology Laws of association football