Penalty area
The large marked box in front of each goal in football where the goalkeeper may handle the ball.
Definition
In association football, the penalty area is the big rectangular zone marked out in front of each goal. It is the only part of the pitch where the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with their hands, which makes it a key reference point for goalkeeping and defending.
The penalty area also matters for fouls. Most direct-foul offences committed by the defending team inside their own penalty area are punished with a penalty kick, a free shot taken from a set spot with only the goalkeeper to beat.
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Rules
- Penalty kick awardA one-on-one kick against the goalkeeper awarded when a defending player commits a direct-free-kick foul inside their own penalty area.
- Out of boundsThe rule that a ball or player leaving the marked playing area is out of play and possession is decided at the boundary.
- Ice hockey penaltiesHow hockey punishes infractions by putting a player in the box — minor, double-minor, major, misconduct and game misconduct — and which ones end early when a goal is scored.
Tactics
- Wing playAttacking down the flanks and crossing the ball into the box to stretch the defence and create chances.
- High pressA football tactic where a team hunts the ball high up the pitch to win it back close to the opponent’s goal.
- Zone defenceA defensive system where each player guards an area of the court rather than a specific opponent.
Facilities
- Football pitchThe large rectangular grass or artificial-turf field on which football (soccer) is played, with a goal at each end.
- Tennis courtA rectangular marked court, divided across the middle by a net, where tennis is played as singles or doubles.
- Golf courseA large outdoor course of individually designed holes, each running from a teeing area to a hole cut in a putting green.
- The cricket pitchThe 22-yard strip at the centre of a cricket field where the bowling and batting happen — its exact dimensions, how it is bounded, and who decides whether it is fit to play on.
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- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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