Revealed: The huge challenge facing Christian Wade as he goes Stateside to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway Programme
Christian Wade has established himself among the all-time greats in Premiership history when it comes to try-scoring, but he now faces the biggest challenge yet of his sporting career as he attempts to reinvent himself as an NFL star.
The former Wasps wing this month embarked on the challenge of breaking into American football, starting a rigorous training programme which will see him head Stateside in the new year and could result in him playing in the NFL as soon as next season.
Wade will be one of a handful of international players hand-picked to take part in the league’s International Player Pathway Programme (IPPP) – a scheme designed to give elite athletes from outside the United States a chance in the sport which is entering its third year.
The 27-year-old caused a stir last month by hanging up his boots in order to pursue the American dream after falling out of love with rugby, admitting that his frustration at being overlooked by England had been a key factor in his decision.
Scoring 82 Premiership tries, Wade was prolific for Wasps and sits third on the competition’s all-time try scorer list, just 10 off of a record that was well within his sights had he played out the season. He holds the record for the most tries scored in a single match, with six against Worcester in 2016, as well as the most scored in all competitions in a single season, with 19 in 2016-17.
The skill-set that saw him reach those dizzy heights may even serve him better in the NFL, where there will be greater emphasis on his strengths – speed and agility – and less on the defensive side of his game, which restricted his England appearances. There is still a long way to go, however, before he makes the cut.
International Player Pathway Programme
“Our programme really starts in January – that’s when we take them to the US,” Will Bryce, the head of football development for NFL in the UK. Tells City A.M. “Christian is working from now until then on learning the game, going through basic drills, just familiarising himself with the sport.
“He will be working on his conditioning because American football is very different to rugby in terms of the energy system you use. He’s going through that process of, not transforming his body, but getting used to using it in a different way.”
Those helping him to do that have already began their work. Wade will be using American football coaches that he has previously worked with during the rugby off-season to get himself in optimum condition for January.
He will be flown out to Florida in the new year, along with several other international players carefully selected by Bryce and his team, who will continue to look after them during their time in the US until – and if – they are allocated to an NFL side.
“The first phase will be acclimation to the game for Christian,” says Bryce. “In January there will be a similar acclimation period with an increase in the training that’s going to be demanded of him, both in the classroom learning the game and also on the field. Everything will increase phase by phase.
“We gradually ease off the volume of training as they prepare to work out in front of teams towards the end of the programme, so you want them fresher and able to perform to their best.”
Wade will be immersed in American football at the world class facilities of the IMG Academy in Florida during his four months there. He will train alongside the other internationals hoping to make the grade, as well as with other professionals in their off-season and college players preparing for the draft.
“It’s a really good environment, football everyday. It will give them the best opportunity to contribute early to a team,” Bryce continues.
“There are different scenarios once we get to the other side of the programme. They can get allocated to a team through practice squad exemptions, which is the normal route, but if a team really wants to sign the player they can, and if they’re draft eligible then they can draft the player.
“What ends up happening is up to Christian, with how hard he works and how quickly he picks up everything that’s being asked of him.”
Typically four NFL teams from one division will be allocated a practice squad exemption, which allow an international player to be a part of that squad for at least one year without being cut. The idea is to give players a fair chance to adapt to the game and there could be more than four teams involved, depending on how many athletes make the grade.
Making the grade
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player in Australia, and Carolina Panthers defensive end Efe Obada became the first two members of the pathway programme to make a final 53-man NFL roster this year.
“Obada has shown that the programme can really work to support them to play football because now he’s playing on Sundays for the Panthers,” Bryce adds. “He didn’t play in school, he didn’t go to a US school, he just played in the amateur league here, and now he’s playing professionally in a sport a lot of kids don’t think they can.”
Other Brits to have made the move are Atlanta Falcons tight-end Alex Gray, who previously played rugby for Newcastle Falcons and London Irish and captained an England Under-20 side at the junior World Cup in 2011 that also included Wade, and Christian Scotland-Williamson, once of Worcester Warriors and now at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Alex made the move after struggling with injury. Due to the nature of it and the timing, it just meant him getting back into the Premiership that year was going to be a tough ask,” his agent Stuart Watkins tells City A.M.
“He flew out with other candidates in January and then went into a crash course over a period of three to four months where he was pretty much in six days a week, seven until seven, training, learning plays, understanding how a play-book works and unlearning all the athletic skills he learned in rugby union.
“Even the smallest detail like how you run around four cones had to be relearned because it’s all about optimising and getting from point A to point B in the quickest possible time, down to where you plant your feet.”
Gray was allocated to the Falcons in April 2017 and, following a successful season with the practice squad, was offered a futures contract. Ultimately he narrowly missed out on a place in the final 53-man roster, meaning he remained with the practice squad for the 2018-19 season and is not yet eligible for regular NFL season games. All being well, he will sign another futures contract next year and have the opportunity during pre-season to prove he is good enough to be an active player.
Wade has the physical attributes necessary to succeed in NFL as either a kick returner, wide receiver or running back. The IPPP will demand he works as hard, if not harder, off the pitch to come to terms with the rigorous mental demands of the game and flourish in a second sport.