Technical area

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Austria Vienna's bench and technical area during a match in 2005

In association football, the technical area is the space that a manager, other coaching personnel and substitutes are allowed to occupy during matches. They may stand, or sit in a sheltered area called "the bench" or the dugout. Unlike a baseball dugout this is less likely to be 'dug out' or sunken into the ground, usually being at pitch level in larger stadiums.

The first football stadium to feature a dugout was Pittodrie Stadium, home of Aberdeen FC in Scotland, where dugouts were introduced in the 1920's by trainer Donald Colman, who wanted to get closer to the pitch to observe his players, without sacrificing the shelter provided in the grandstand.

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[ing] forward up to a distance of 1m (1yd) from the touch line" according to the Laws of the Game.^[1] Managers may not cross the line during play, which restricts them from approaching the pitch (the fourth official is in charge of enforcing this rule), although substitutes may warm up elsewhere at the pitchside.