Alex Gray may have never played a single game of American football and has yet to even attend a match as a spectator, but the former rugby star now has a career in the NFL firmly in his sights.

Gray, a former professional rugby player who has represented London Irish, Newcastle and captained the likes of Owen Farrell, George Ford and Jonathan Joseph at England Under 20 level, as well as play for the Sevens team, has signed a one-year deal with Atlanta Falcons as he bids to make the grade across the pond.

It's been a gruelling route to get this far for the 26-year-old from Bishop Auckland, which has seen him undertake months of training in a bid to be noticed, keep secrets from his closest friends and close the door on his first love of rugby, at least for now.

Former England rugby player Alex Gray has been signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad

Gray played for England at youth and Sevens level as well as Newcastle and London Irish

His journey to Atlanta is thanks to the International Player Pathway programme which has given four European-based players year-long contracts with teams in the NFC South division of the NFL. The programme has given him a place on the Falcons' practice squad, the equivalent of a reserve team in football, and he is eligible to play in the team's pre-season matches but not participate in competitive games.

There are no guarantees of a career in the NFL, though, far from it. The Falcons currently boast a squad of more than 90 players, which must be cut to 53 before the start of the season in September. The nature of American football means many will have their careers ended before they've even begun, but Gray finds himself in the privileged position of having a guaranteed year-long deal, while most players are at the mercy of being cut each and every day.

He will be the 11th man on what is usually a 10-man practice squad, with those players helping to prepare the senior players for their weekly games, while also learning their trade away from the spotlight of competitive action.

Gray is part of the Falcons' practice squad where he will spend a year learning the game

After his year is up, though, he must fend for himself in one of the most brutal sporting leagues in the world, hoping he has done enough in his guaranteed year to prove he is able to carve out a role for himself in a sport where the average career lasts a little over three years.

It is this guarantee, as well as the work ethic and determination he has gained during his rugby career, which he believes gives him the chance of making the grade in a sport where all the odds are stacked against him.

'It's an amazing opportunity and one I'm determined to take,' Gray told Sportsmail.

'Everyone has been great with me and have been very welcoming. After meeting everyone it was then into my first NFL practice and that was like something I’ve never experienced before.

‘It’s been good though, amazing, and hopefully just the start. There has been loads more meetings than I imagined, certainly more than in my rugby days, and the facilities are amazing. All the clubs I played for and with England, the facilities were first class, with the England Sevens side they were first class, but this is something else.

GRAY'S RUGBY CAREER 2010-11: Newcastle Falcons 2011-13: London Irish 2016-17: London Irish 2010-11: England U20 2013-16: England Sevens Advertisement

‘All of the rookies are in a hotel and that’s been a good way to get to know a few people. There is certainly a level of intrigue there because I’ve come from a completely different background to the rest of the guys. They have played this game all their lives, just as I have with rugby, so while I’m at a disadvantage and so far behind when it comes to experience in the game, I can make up for that with my approach and professionalism.

‘I have played high level sport professionally where rookies over here are straight out of college, graduates, so that’s something I don’t need to be coached.'

The opportunity was an unexpected one, with a shot at the NFL almost coming out of the blue. He was informed of an opening on the NFL's programme, which had unearthed German wide receiver Moritz Bohringer. He then sent off videos of himself going through a number of physical exercises and then waited for a reply.

Wow.....what a first week that was!!! Loved being out there with my @AtlantaFalcons team mates. #WelcomeToTheGrind pic.twitter.com/97wsLwria8 — Alex Gray (@AlexShaggyGray) June 4, 2017

At 6ft 6in tall, weighing 18 stone and able to run the 100m in 11 seconds, the programme bosses liked what they saw and he was off to Florida for an intensive training camp.

It was at this point the secrets began, as he kept his activities secret from his friends, family and former rugby team-mates, who have been quick to make their shock, delight and warm wishes clear since his contract with the Falcons was revealed.

‘People wondered what the hell I was upto because I told my family and some really close friends, but everyone else was in the dark, especially some of the rugby boys,' he said.

'There are a lot of NFL fans in rugby circles because of the game and its physicality, I think they like the showmanship, so a lot of them were shocked to find out what I had been doing. I’ve had some many people wishing me good luck and that means a lot.'

Gray's relationship with rugby is one which will endure a lifetime, having taken up most of his time during his 26 years to date, so is the door now closed on that chapter of his life? "Never say never" is his reply.

‘With rugby it’s a tough one. I’m not going to pretend I’m not conflicted about it sometimes, because I am, and that’s because I had given so much of my life to it,' Gray said.

‘In terms of my rugby career I don’t think I can ever really close off on that, it’s been my life, but you find out that you are in a real rugby bubble. There are some wonderful people in the game that have done so much for me, but everything about the last few months has probably helped me appreciate what I have achieved. I’m so proud of what I have done so far and I might come back, you never know. That’s just life.

'Did I think I was ever going to give the NFL a serious go? Absolutely not, but this isn’t too bad for a kid from the north.

‘The big thing for me now is to make sure I get as much out of this as I possibly can because it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just need to put myself in as good a position as I can, learn as much as I can and give it everything I’ve got.’

He will need to do just that if he is to complete an unlikely transition, but as Gray has already learned, anything is possible.