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While the US is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by US-born athletes. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the game by attending university in the United States. True international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. As 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 toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme 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-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ 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 similar things and require help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players realize that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his late teens. He impressed 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.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Despite devoting most of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the more young people who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US annually to train the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back