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While the US is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still dominated by US-born athletes. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by going to college in the US. True international figures are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as representing Great Britain, but his plans to go to college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would switch my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is perfect for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build structure and routines: how to take care of their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

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

International Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been kickers, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while representing teams in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, 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 inclusive environment, a great team, a great organization.”

Although devoting most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida each year to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back