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This past Wednesday, the Bay Collective group announced the recruitment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of global women's football operations director. This new multi-team ownership group, with San Francisco’s Bay FC as the inaugural team among its holdings, has prior experience in hiring individuals from the national football governing body.

The selection earlier this year of Cossington, the prominent former FA technical director, as the chief executive was a demonstration of ambition by this organization. She understands the women's game inside out and currently she has assembled a management group with profound insight of women’s football history and packed with practical experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to exit recently, with Cossington leaving before Euro 2025 and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, moving on to assume the position of head coach of the Dutch national team, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Leaving proved to be a jarring experience, yet “I’d taken my decision to exit the national setup some time back”, she says. “The terms for four years, similar to the assistant and head coach did. As they re-signed, I previously indicated I wasn't sure about renewing myself. I had accepted the notion that post-Euros I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The Euros turned into an emotional tournament because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, having a conversation with Sarina in which I informed her regarding my plans and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ Generally, dreams don't dreams come true every day but, remarkably, it actually happened.”

Dressed in orange, she experiences split allegiances after her time working in England, where she was part of securing consecutive European championships and worked within the coaching setup during the Dutch victory at Euro 2017.

“The national team retains a special place in my heart. Therefore, it’s going to be tough, particularly now knowing that the squad are due to arrive for the international camp soon,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, which side do I back? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.

The club was not initially considered as the management specialist determined it was time to move on, however everything aligned opportunely. The chief executive began assembling the team and common principles proved essential.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” states Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. We've discussed extensively regarding multiple aspects related to developing women's football and what we think is the right way.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not alone to make a move from prominent roles within European football for a blank sheet of paper across the Atlantic. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, Patricia González, has been unveiled as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I was highly interested in the deep faith in the potential of the women’s game,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; back when I was with Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and such choices are straightforward knowing you will have around you people who really inspire you.”

The extensive expertise within their group sets them apart, explains she, with Bay Collective among a number recent multi-team projects which have emerged lately. “It's a standout feature of our approach. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, but we definitely believe in incorporating football expertise,” she states. “Each of us have progressed in female football, throughout our careers.”

As outlined on their site, the ambition for the collective is to support and lead an advanced and lasting environment for women's football clubs, founded on effective practices to meet the varied requirements of women in sport. Achieving this, with unified understanding, without having to justify actions for why you would take certain actions, is incredibly freeing.

“I equate it to moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving through waters that there are no roadmaps for – a common Dutch expression, I don’t know if it translates – and it's necessary to trust your own knowledge and expertise to choose wisely. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.”

González notes: “Here, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. For me, what we do is about influencing the game on a wider scale and that blank slate permits you to undertake any direction you choose, adhering to football's guidelines. That is the advantage of what we are building together.”

Their goals are lofty, the executives are expressing sentiments players and fans hope to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of the collective, Bay FC and other teams that may join.

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