Fair catch kick rugby have eliminated the rule; rugby league abolished the goal from mark in 1922, and rugby union removed it in 1977. Australian rules football has retained the rule, and it is a vital part of the Australian game; a "fair catch" of a ball kicked more than 15 metres in the air is called a "mark", and the player making the mark is then awarded a free kick. The fair catch kick has been present in the National Football League (NFL) rulebook since the league's inception, and also remains in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rulebook.
Comparison of American football and rugby union this resulted in the formation of a break-away governing body, the Northern Union. The schism in English rugby was caused by several economic factors for the northern clubs which made up the majority of the teams. The Northern Union began to make changes to the laws of rugby in 1906, which resulted in the sport of rugby league. The Rugby Football Union's version of rugby became known as rugby union after its governing body. Rugby is played in 120 countries, is extremely popular in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay, Madagascar, Kenya, Namibia,