Fair catch catch is called a "mark"; see mark (rugby) and mark (Australian football) for more information (however in Australian Rules Football the player is not protected from the opposition team while attempting a mark). Fair catches featured in some extinct forms of football, and they have been abolished in other modern codes. In Rugby league the defensive player attempting to catch the ball cannot be tackled whilst in the air, though the attacking players can contest the ball by attempting to catch it themselves. A player who successfully catches the ball is able to be tackled only once they have landed
Fair catch catch on a kickoff return is used primarily on short kickoffs to prevent a ball kicked high in the air from being recovered by the kicking team. Since the 2018 college football season, fair catches are now commonly employed on kickoffs that do not reach the end zone, but are perceived (for whatever reason) as having little potential for a successful return. This was the result of an NCAA rule change which treats a fair catch on a kickoff between the receiving team's goal line and 25-yard line as a touchback, with the ball being placed on the 25. Various