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.
Fair catch forms of football descended from certain English school football games of the 19th century have had a fair catch. It was abolished early in the development of soccer, then in the middle of the 20th century by Canadian football, and slightly later by rugby league. Forms of football retaining a form of fair catch (also called "mark") include American (outdoor), rugby union, and Australian rules. The American-invented intramural games speedball and speed-a-way have some of the flavor of the original fair catch, which was to allow handling of the ball in games where handling was otherwise forbidden. Australian rules, speedball,