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While the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely led by American-born athletes. Only 5% of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by going to university in the United States. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and did not played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his plans to go to college in the US were too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to take care of their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Being Outside the US System

Originating from beyond 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 offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have typically been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging 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 Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football 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 held the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, 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 great team, a great organization.”

Despite spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close 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 LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries beyond the United States. The better every IPP graduate does, the greater number of young people who participate in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back