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While the US 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 enter the game by going to university in the United States. True international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating in his area and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to work with younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and schedules: how to take care of their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Brit who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get 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 use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from various origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at attracting international supporters than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really 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 – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive environment, a excellent squad, a top organization.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of youth who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, 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 rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back