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While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still dominated by American-born players. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by going to university in the US. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is 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 dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his plans to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to introduce them to college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love 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 require support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are truly curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have people from various backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. 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 held the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see action on the gridiron. 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 all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive environment, a excellent team, a top franchise.”

Although spending the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he represents more than just his home countries. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of young people who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US annually to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back