A technical area in association football, is where a manager, other coaching personnel and substitutes

Substitute (football)

In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...

 are allowed to occupy during a match.

The area, where people may stand or sit, includes the dugout, bench and a marked zone adjacent to the pitch

Association football pitch

An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...

.

History

The first football stadium to feature a dugout was Pittodrie Stadium

Pittodrie Stadium

Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...

, home of Aberdeen FC

Aberdeen F.C.

Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...

, where dugouts were introduced by trainer Donald Colman

Donald Colman

Donald Cameron Cunningham, known as Donald Colman was a football player and coach in the early years of the 20th century, playing and coaching most notably for Aberdeen...

 in the 1920s. He wanted a place to take notes and observe his players without sacrificing the shelter provided by a grandstand

Grandstand

A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. 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 all or most of the way...

.

The defined space of the technical area was established in the notes section of the Laws of the Game by FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 in 1993.

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[ing] forward 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 charge of enforcing this rule, although substitutes may warm up

Warm Up

Warm Up is a Formula One style racing video game, released in 2000 developed by Lankhor, and published by Microïds, for Microsoft Windows based PCs....

along the side of the pitch.