Cambridge: birthplace of the laws of football.

Tour Guide

Parker’s Piece and four Cambridge sporting greats - walking tour

Saturday 5th March 2022. 10am start on Parker's Piece to 11.30am

The first non-European international sports star, and four of Cambridge's sporting greats can thank Parker's Piece for launching their careers - as well as the modern-day laws of football.

Price £8 / head payable on the day

Walk completed

To request more details / to book use contact form

Cambridge v Oxford Varsity Football matches at Abbey Stadium, Cambridge

Sunday 13th March 2022. 1.30pm (Women) and 4.30pm (Men)

This match is the oldest game between the same two teams in the history of football, and whilst normally played at a neutral venue (since 1873) this year it will take place at Cambridge United's ground.

Cambridge lose both games in front of 2,000 crowd.

Prices between £8 and £10 (free for under 18s)

To request more details / to book use contact form

Oxford v Cambridge Varsity Rugby 150th Anniversary match

Saturday 2nd April 2022 at Twickenham

Cambridge Sports Tours will arrange spectator tickets for both women and men's matches, or an all-in hospitality option including lunch, drinks, and a talk by Nigel Fenner on the early history of rugby in Cambridge.

Prices start from £35 with reductions for children.

To request more details / to book use contact form

Women draw, Oxford men win.

Cambridge's role in the sporting revolution that went global - walking tour

Saturday 23rd April 2022. 10am to 12noon start at Trinity College

Britain is recognised as the home of a sporting revolution in the 19th century that went global, with Cambridge playing a significant role, from ‘the drawing up of rules to the development of sporting philosophies'. (Tour includes a refreshments stop.)

Price £8 / head payable on the day

To request more details / to book use contact form

Walk completed

Theatre, literature and sports - walking tour

Saturday 11th June 2022. 10am start on Maids Causeway, top of Midsummer Common to 11.30am

William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and Footlights Theatre Company all had links to sport, and yet 'the Town' in particular suffered from the 'non-permission of local theatres' and other leisure pursuits, including at the largest Fair in Europe.

Price £8 / head payable on the day

To request more details / to book use contact form

Boxing, and Town versus Gown tensions - walking tour

Sunday 10th July 2022. Start 10am Magdalene Bridge to 11.30am

Cambridge has close links to the Queensberry Rules of boxing, and Muscular Christianity ( - the originator had illegal boxing lessons when a student), both having a profound impact on the development of sport in Victorian England. Others with a boxing link include Lord Byron and Isaac Newton, in a town where tensions between Town and Gown often led to fighting and riots on the street, including a 'famous' battle in the early 19th Century.

Price £8 / head payable on the day

To request more details / to book use contact form

Bare_knuckle boxing Newmarket Road c 1910.jpg

Frank Fenner: hero or villain? - walking tour

Saturday 13th August 2022. Start 10am Emmanuel Road to 11.30am

“Fenner’s” is well known in Cambridge, even amongst those who know little about cricket, but being named after the University Cricket Ground is currently Frank Fenner’s only legacy. When he died in the late 19th century no obituary was published in local papers. Why?

Price £8 / head payable on the day

To request more details / to book use contact form

History of rowing and 'have a go - row'

Saturday 10th September 2022. Venue, date and timings to be confirmed

Fancy a row - in a safe and purpose-built indoor rowing tank? And find out about the history of rowing in Cambridge including the Annual Varsity Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge, Town rowing and 'the bumps'? (Restrictions on minimum and maximum numbers).

Price £15 / head payable in advance

To request more details / to book use contact form

Women and sport - walking tour

Sunday 9th October 2022. Venue, date and timings to be confirmed

Despite nearly half of the first 16 Colleges in Cambridge being founded by women it took hundreds of years before women students had parity with men. Find out which sport made the greatest contribution to the physical liberation of women, and who was mostly responsible. Find out too about the almost non-existent opportunities for local women in the 19th century.

Price £8 / head payable on the day

To request more details / to book use contact form

Experience. Nigel Fenner established Cambridge Sports Tours in 2017 and since then has provided tours and sporting experiences to corporate businesses, language schools, schools and the general public. He is also a regular speaker to local history societies.

Nigel is a qualified teacher, who has lived and worked locally for over 40 years mostly for local charities - with young offenders, people with disabilities, and more recently with young people excluded from mainstream education.

Safety. Nigel is DBS checked (criminal record check provided by the government) and can provide tailored risk assessments for school groups including up to date precautions for the coronavirus. Nigel has been double-vaccinated plus the booster jab against the coronavirus. Cambridge Sports Tours holds Public Liability Insurance for up to £1 million for guided walking tours.

Sport. Nigel Fenner was a student at the University of Cambridge where he played football against Oxford University at Wembley stadium, so securing his 'Blue'.

Nigel is also related to Francis P. Fenner, who as a local tobacconist and talented cricketer, created Fenner's Cricket Ground in the mid 19th Century.