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While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to college in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and routines: how to look after their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and require help in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while representing teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a excellent team, a top franchise.”

Despite devoting most of training with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries beyond the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return