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While the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and most of them enter the game by going to university in the United States. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not played pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d show up 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 stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with younger players from across the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising time on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a really active position, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: learning to look after their body and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure 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 are invested, all the rest fades.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “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 loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at attracting international supporters than developing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

International Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have typically been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at university, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously 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 Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a very welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a top organization.”

Despite spending most of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a 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. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he represents more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

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