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This past Wednesday, Bay Collective revealed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of director of global women’s football operations. The new multi-team ownership group, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the first club within its group, has prior experience in recruiting from the English FA.

The hiring earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role served as a signal of intent by Bay Collective. Cossington understands female football inside out and now has put together a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of women’s football history and filled with experience.

Van Ginhoven marks the third central staffer of the manager's inner circle to depart recently, following the chief executive leaving before the European Championships and the assistant manager, Arjan Veurink, moving on to assume the position of head manager of Holland, however her move was made earlier.

Moving on was a shock to the system, yet “I’d taken my decision to depart the Football Association well in advance”, she states. “My agreement lasting four years, similar to the assistant and head coach had. When they renewed, I had expressed I wasn't sure whether I would. I had accepted the thought that post-Euros I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The European Championship became a sentimental competition because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with the head coach where I basically told her about my decision and then we said: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be to clinch the European title?’ In reality, it's rare that dreams come true often but, remarkably, ours came true.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties following her stint with the English team, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and served on the coaching setup when the Netherlands won at Euro 2017.

“England will always hold a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, particularly now knowing that the team are scheduled to come for national team duty shortly,” she notes. “When England plays the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? I’m wearing orange at the moment, though tomorrow English white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. In a lean group like this one, that’s easily done.

The American side was not in the plans when the organisational wizard concluded that a new chapter was needed, but everything aligned at the right time. Cossington started to bring people in and common principles were crucial.

“Essentially upon meeting we connected we experienced an instant connection,” says Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. We've discussed extensively on various topics around how you grow the game and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are among several to relocate from high-profile jobs in the European game for an uncharted opportunity in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been introduced as the organization's new global sporting director.

“I was very attracted in the deep faith of the power within the female sport,” she explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward knowing you'll be working alongside colleagues who drive you.”

The extensive expertise among their staff sets them apart, explains Van Ginhoven, with Bay Collective among a number recent multi-team projects which have emerged over the past few years. “That’s one of our unique selling points. Different approaches are acceptable, but we are firm in our belief in having that football knowledge on board,” she adds. “The entire leadership have been on a journey in female football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the mission of this group is to advocate and innovate a forward-thinking and durable system of women’s football clubs, founded on effective practices to meet the varied requirements of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with everyone on the same page, with no need to make the case for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I compare it with transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says she. “You're journeying across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, I don’t know if it translates – and you must depend on your personal insight and skills to make the right decision. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

González adds: “In this role, we start with a blank slate to work from. Personally, our work is about influencing the game on a much broader level and that clean start permits you to undertake any direction you choose, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our collective project.”

Their goals are lofty, the executives are saying the things athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be interesting to observe the evolution of the collective, the club and other teams that may join.

As a preview of upcoming developments, what are the key aspects in a high-performance setting? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve