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Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born players. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by attending university in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and routines: learning to look after their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have people from various origins, a range of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

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

Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive environment, a great team, a great franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he represents more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate does, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US annually to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return