Efe Obada: From a London warehouse to the NFL and meeting King Charles

Few stories capture the rise of American football in the UK quite like Efe Obada's.

The defensive end and NFL Academy UK Ambassador joined the Good Morning Football show recently - available to Game Pass subscribers on DAZN - to reflect on a journey that took him from the streets of London to the highest level of the sport.

Obada, who has 15 career sacks over a seven-year career spanning periods with the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders, also touched on the NFL's remarkable rise in the UK and a memorable meeting with King Charles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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From warehouse worker to the NFL

Growing up in London, American football was not even on Obada's radar.

"For me, football was very foreign. One of my friends, who I went to school with, played the sport, and he was huge. He saw my frame and thought I'd be a good fit," he said.

Like most youngsters on this side of the Atlantic, Obada gravitated toward other sports from an early age.

"Initially, soccer was my first love. Everyone thinks they're a striker at heart. But then the bigger I got, the further back I went, and eventually I was on the sidelines," he continued with a smile.

Obada had a challenging start to life. At a young age, he was trafficked to the UK from the Netherlands, where his family had moved from Nigeria.

At one point, he was left without a home and spent time in foster care before finding his feet.

American football arrived at a moment when he needed it most.

"It was originally an outlet for me, for the lack of progression in my life. The frustrations that I had.

"But one thing led to another through the expansion. Dallas came over to the UK. I had an unofficial workout. I was working in a warehouse at the time and didn't think anything of it.

"The following year, Dallas gave me a call, said they wanted to sign me, and the rest is history."

A core memory: meeting King Charles

Perhaps nothing underlines how far the NFL has come in the UK more than a landmark moment that proved defining for Obada.

He was present at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for an event marking the sport's growth in this country, an occasion that brought him face-to-face with King Charles himself.

EDDIE MULHOLLAND / Contributor

"The opportunity to meet King Charles was a core memory for me. I had my family members blowing up my phone," Obada said.

"It was such a really cool experience to do that, and it just shows the impact and the growth of this game from the ground up."

The UK's embrace of the NFL

The NFL's presence in the UK has grown to the point where it is no longer considered a novelty.

The demand for NFL games on British soil backs that up completely.

"Tickets get sold out instantly. As soon as it goes live, everyone is talking about it," Obada continued.

The NFL's pathway for British talent

Obada highlighted the infrastructure now in place for British and other overseas players with NFL ambitions.

"There are some other amazing initiatives that support that as well, like the NFL Academy."

The NFL Academy introduces students to the sport during their later school years, and the results are already speaking for themselves.

"We've actually had guys get D1, D2 school scholarships," Obada explained.

Obada also discussed the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program, which gives elite athletes from outside the US a structured route into the professional game.

Having benefited from the program as the first player to make a 53-man roster, Obada testified to what it has to offer.

"The NFL IPP Program is an amazing initiative that gets elite global athletes a structured, professional pathway for them to get onto an NFL roster," Obada said.

Now taking on a leading role in advancing initiatives to give others the same opportunities he has enjoyed, Obada is a shining light in the UK NFL scene.

It's an impressive legacy for a young man who was working in a London warehouse not so long ago.