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Although the United States is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely led by US-born players. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by going to college in the United States. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. 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 often get me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he set up 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, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build habits and routines: learning to look after their body and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad 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 build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a top franchise.”

Despite spending most of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida each year to train the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return