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Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still dominated by US-born athletes. Just 5% of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending college in the United States. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not played pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating locally and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved too expensive.

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

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta 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 remarkable guys,” 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 traveled to Australia to work with younger players from around the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish structure and routines: how to look after their health and handle a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at university, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for clubs in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very welcoming culture, a excellent squad, a top franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My close 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 Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US each year to coach the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return