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While the US is a country of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Only five percent of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending college in the US. True outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP program in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the 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, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to work with younger players from across the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need help in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the US System

Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed 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 enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really inclusive environment, a excellent team, a great franchise.”

Although spending most of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the US. The better each one of us does, the more youth who participate in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to train the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return