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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by American-born players. Only 5% of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by attending college in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating locally and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to work with younger players from across the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and routines: how to take care of their body and handle a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Being Outside the US System

Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a excellent team, a great franchise.”

Despite devoting most of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, 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 supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation beyond the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return