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The NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) is a program designed to give athletes from around the world the chance to enter America’s National Football League.
Each year since 2017, the NFL has scouted some of the world’s best athletes across a variety of sports and put them into a high-intensity 10-week training and development boot camp.
The players are also exposed to NFL scouts and meet with football coaches, and if they impress, can be signed into a specially designated spot on the practice squad of an NFL team, with opportunities throughout the season to move up into the active roster and possibly make their way onto the field.
Since the program’s inception and before the 2024 program, 37 international players had signed with NFL teams, and five players had made the active roster at teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Commanders, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
What makes the NFL IPP a shining example of talent development?
The nature of the relationship between the NFL and the teams within it makes this a somewhat unique case. However, the NFL’s Hail Mary mission for the program – “To be the destination for the world's best athletes to develop and begin their journey in American football” – should resonate with talent acquisition and development professionals.
Global programs offer employers the chance to expand their talent pools and seek out the world’s best talent. Not every role needs this level of resource, but for positions that demand highly skilled employees or can drive significant business value or competitive advantage, they can be highly valuable.
A 2023 survey of 600 U.S. HR professionals found that 69% said their organization has a skills gap, up from 55% in 2021. A dedicated global talent development program can offer structured channels for employers to acquire these skills – the NFL IPP program, for example, this year is including specialists such as goal kickers, punters, and kickoff specialists.
Consider a program that is compelling enough for someone like Rees-Zammit, who played in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the sport’s highest level, to walk away from a $380,000 contract and join the program on a $63,000 sum. And his faith has been justified, having successfully landed a contract with Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.
Similarly, effective global talent development pipelines offer international workers the chance to pursue a dream role that would otherwise have been inaccessible.
Kim Wilkes, Head of Talent Attraction at Zapier, says that HR can draw inspiration from the program and consider different ways to create international pathways. Firstly, she recommends providing the opportunity for remote work and or supporting the visa or immigration process. “Doing so opens the door to a broad pool of talent that might otherwise be hindered by location or sponsorship,” Wilkes explains.
However, it can be challenging to know where to start and how to appeal to workers across the world. To combat this, Wilkes recommends forging strategic partnerships with organizations that can help gain access to top talent.
“At Zapier, we partner closely with organizations such as Elpha, PowerToFly, and Latinas in Tech,” she says. “We’re introduced to a global talent pool and have the opportunity to share employee-generated content and host events that help members learn more about our culture and the roles we have open at a given time.”
A case study in skills-based, role-agnostic recruitment
The beauty of the NFL IPP is that it doesn’t just take a punt on international players – it opens up the program to those with the right skills and abilities, but who are in a slightly different sport (or role).
Recruitment has seen much debate about the feasibility of skills-based hiring, and how it can be achieved, but a talent development program such as this is the perfect example. It balances global accessibility – ambitious athletes need only email the NFL – with high exclusivity. Any athlete is theoretically free to apply, regardless of background, skills, and experience, but there are less than 20 spaces, meaning there is still intense screening and scrutiny. It doesn’t matter what your background is. If you have the skills, you’re in, and if you don’t, you’re out.
The program focuses immediately on re-skilling, helping the athletes apply their remarkable abilities to Football-specific techniques and scenarios, assessing their ability to perform the basics and demonstrate outstanding capabilities.
“There’s a lot of transferable skills over from rugby,” Rees-Zammit has previously told the BBC. “I’m absolutely loving training… You basically come here and work the game of football on and off the field, in the classroom and training six days a week. Ten weeks of intense training to see if your dream becomes a reality.”
For employers in the U.S., this approach offers a useful blueprint for skills-based hiring. Create programs that open up applications to workers across the globe who are at the top of their field, focusing on the skills they bring to the table and how they could help your workforce.
“I’ve found that it can be helpful for recruiters and hiring leaders to identify roles that require industry-specific experience vs roles that can offer more flexibility early on. This ensures a strategic approach and can help to shorten the hiring process,” suggests Wilkes.
“Employees who possess strong transferable skills are often more adaptable, resourceful, and resilient in the face of challenges. By recruiting candidates with these attributes, organizations can improve employee retention rates as employees are better equipped to thrive and grow within the organization over the long term.”
The benefits of international talent development pathways
Programs like the NFL IPP bring a huge range of benefits to any employer. First and foremost, building international talent pathways enhances an organization's reputation as a global employer of choice. “This can help attract top talent from around the world who are seeking opportunities for career growth, professional development, and exposure to diverse cultures and experiences,” says Wilkes.
Moreover, hiring top international talent can help organizations tap into diverse perspectives, experiences, and skill sets that may not be readily available in a local talent pool – consider the specific skills from rugby that Rees-Zammit will bring.
“This can lead to innovation, creativity, and fresh approaches to problem-solving,” explains Wilkes. “Employees from different backgrounds bring unique perspectives and insights that can lead to greater collaboration, understanding, and empathy within the team and customers.”
No doubt Rees-Zammit’s presence on the Kansas City Chiefs will draw in a huge following from Wales, for whom he was an international Rugby star. Wilkes notes that international hires can have local market knowledge and language skills that are invaluable for building relationships with customers and partners, which can “help organizations expand into new markets and navigate cultural nuances more effectively.”
It’s worth remembering that to receive any of these benefits, employers must embed diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity into the fabric of the organization to create a welcoming environment for new hires and employees. But if executed properly, it could be the game plan that elevates your talent acquisition team to the level of world champions.
