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While the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely led by US-born athletes. Only five percent of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by attending university in the US. Genuine international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend college in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the 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 became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different 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. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner 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 Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while representing clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see action on the field. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a very inclusive environment, a excellent squad, a top franchise.”

Despite spending the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the US. The better each one of us does, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

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