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While the United States is a country of immigrants, the NFL is still led by US-born players. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to college in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to work with younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a really active position, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the game. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and schedules: how to look after their body and handle a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when players know that you care, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football 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 given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the 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 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 international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very welcoming environment, a great team, a great organization.”

Despite spending the majority of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “I would say every nation beyond the United States. The more successful each one of us performs, the more young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US each year to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back