Parker's Piece

52°12′08″N 00°07′40″E / 52.20222°N 0.12778°E / 52.20222; 0.12778

Parker's Piece is a 25-acre (100,000 m²) flat and roughly square green common located near the centre of Cambridge, England, regarded by some as the birthplace of the rules of association football.^[1] The two main walking and cycling paths across it run diagonally, and the single lamp-post at the junction is colloquially known as Reality Checkpoint. The area is bounded by Park Terrace, Parkside, Gonville Place, and Regent Terrace. The Cambridge University Football Club Laws were first used on Parker's Piece and adopted by the Football Association in 1863. "They embrace the true principles of the game, with the greatest simplicity" (E. C. Morley, F.A. Hon. Sec. 1863). 'The Cambridge Rules appear to be the most desirable for the Association to adopt' (C. W. Alcock 1863, FA committee member and founder of the FA Cup).^[2]

The grass is mown and the area is known today chiefly as a spot for picnics and games of football and cricket, and serves as the games field for nearby Parkside Community College. Fairs tend to be held on the rougher ground of Midsummer Common. Daytime events and concerts^[3] are occasionally held on the Regent's Terrace side of Parker's Piece, while north-western quarter is still maintained as a venue for league cricket.^[4]

In 1838, a feast for 15,000 guests was held on Parker's Piece to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria. There is a blue plaque dedicated to Jack Hobbs^[5] on the wall of the building known locally as Hobbs Pavilion.