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Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is still led by American-born players. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending college in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. 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 first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. 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 get me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as 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 really interesting players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have people from various backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – 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 foreign players. 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 risen to the very top.

International Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for clubs 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 had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a excellent team, a top franchise.”

Despite spending the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into 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 all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate does, the greater number of youth who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return