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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by US-born players. Just five percent of participants are foreign-born, and most of them enter the sport by attending university in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. 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 usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at university, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a excellent team, a top franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US annually to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back