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Although the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born players. Just 5% of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the game by going to university in the US. Genuine international figures are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and toss 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 career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: how to take care of their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and need help in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke 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 enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from various origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who claimed the championship recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Germany, 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 LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington 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 gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive environment, a great team, a top organization.”

Despite devoting most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my best man, actually – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “I would say all the countries outside the US. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return