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Although the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by US-born athletes. Only 5% 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 especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US were too expensive.

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

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to joining 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 physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: learning to look after their body and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes 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 under pressure about the same things and need help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

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 wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been better at attracting international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

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

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive culture, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back