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While the US is a country of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them step into the sport by attending college in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating in his area and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to go to college in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear around 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 Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build structure and routines: how to look after their body and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety 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 more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his preferred games, football and the sport, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a great squad, a great franchise.”

Despite spending most of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in 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 mates from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “I would say every nation beyond the US. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who participate in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘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 the US each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return