Fair catch the ball touches the ground. A fair catch may be followed by a snap or a type of free kick — the fair catch kick — at his team's choice, and an expired playing period may be extended if the free kick is chosen. The NCAA abolished the fair catch from its version of American football in 1950, but restored it in 1951, minus the option of kicking from the mark of the catch, which is retained in rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations and the National Football League. If the kicking team commits kick catching
Comparison of American football and rugby union the rear of the field. An American football "field" is bordered by "sidelines" and "end lines". A rugby union "pitch" has "touchlines" and "dead-ball lines" respectively. True to its rugby roots, the boundary lines in American football are also out of play (unlike in the majority of other sports where being in contact with the line means that the player or ball is still in-play). In both rugby and American football all the major interior lines run transversely across the playing area. The border between the regular field of play and a scoring zone in both sports is called the