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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by US-born athletes. Just five percent of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by going to college in the US. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given 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 father 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 NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to go to university in the US were too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and schedules: learning to take care of their body and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, 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 form friendships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have staff from various origins, a range of upbringings. 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 claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.

International Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive culture, a great squad, a top franchise.”

Despite devoting most of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

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