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While the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by US-born players. Only 5% of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the game by attending university in the US. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to take care of their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and need support in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players know that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at university, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place 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 spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive environment, a great squad, a top organization.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US annually to coach the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back