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While the US is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born athletes. Only 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by going to college in the United States. True international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, 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 called a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to attend university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from around the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build habits and routines: how to take care of their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and need help in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Outside the US System

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby 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 advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport 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 Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t 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 clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a great franchise.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries outside the US. The more successful each one of us does, the more young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to coach the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back