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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 foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to 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

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 incredible given he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill 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.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a really active role, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. First-year rookies also have to build structure and routines: how to take care of their body and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get 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 same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football and the sport, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“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 inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very welcoming environment, a great team, a top franchise.”

Although spending the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “I would say all the countries outside the United States. The better each one of us does, the more young people who participate 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 youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back