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While the US is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the game by going to university in the United States. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating in his area and quickly aspired to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build structure and schedules: how to take care of their health and handle a huge game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Being Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have typically been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not suited for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really inclusive culture, a great team, a top franchise.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate does, the more youth who play football in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are welcomed to Florida annually to train the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return