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Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by US-born players. Just 5% of players are foreign-born, and most of them step into the game by attending university in the US. Genuine international figures are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to attend university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.

International Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. 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 environment, a great team, a great organization.”

Although spending the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries outside the US. The more successful each one of us does, the more youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

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