Substitutes’ bench

A seating area at the side of the pitch where the substitutes and coaching staff can sit and watch the game, usually close to the player’s tunnel and changing facilities near the touch line.

However, in some rare cases, the substitutes’ bench can be on the opposite side of the stadium from the player’s facilities. This can depend on factors such as stadium age, design or structure.

Substitute benches can also be referred to as the ‘dug out’ or ‘technical area’ and have advanced through the many changes to squad sizes and stadium improvements.