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Midweek, Bay Collective announced the appointment of Anja van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. The freshly established multi-team ownership group, featuring Bay FC of San Francisco as the initial addition among its holdings, has prior experience in hiring individuals from the Football Association.

The hiring earlier this year of Cossington, the well-respected former FA technical director, as the chief executive served as a signal of intent by the collective. She is deeply familiar with the women's game thoroughly and now has gathered a management group with profound insight of the history of women's football and packed with experience.

She marks the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to depart recently, with the chief executive leaving before the European Championships and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, leaving to assume the position of head coach of Holland, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Leaving has been a jarring experience, but “I had decided to exit the national setup quite a long time ago”, Van Ginhoven explains. “I had a contract covering four years, similar to Arjan and Sarina did. As they re-signed, I had expressed I wasn't sure whether I would. I had accepted the whole idea that following the tournament my time with England would end.”

The Euros became a deeply felt tournament as a result. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with Sarina when I disclosed regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘We share a single dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ Generally, it's rare that hopes materialize every day yet, against the odds, this one did.”

Dressed in orange, she has divided loyalties following her stint working in England, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and worked within the manager's team for the Netherlands’ triumph in the 2017 European Championship.

“The national team will forever have a dear spot in my heart. So, it will be difficult, notably since that the team will be arriving for the upcoming fixtures soon,” she comments. “When England plays the Netherlands, who do I support? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a lean group like this one, that’s easily done.

The club was not in the plans as the organisational wizard was deciding that it was time for a change, however everything aligned opportunely. Cossington started to bring people in and mutual beliefs were key.

“Almost from the very first moment we connected we felt immediate synergy,” states she. “There was immediate understanding. Our conversations have been thorough regarding multiple aspects concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

The two leaders are not alone to uproot themselves from prominent roles within European football for a fresh start across the Atlantic. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn by the firm conviction of the power within the female sport,” she says. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward when you are aware you are going to be surrounded by people who really inspire you.”

The extensive expertise in their team sets them apart, explains Van Ginhoven, for the collective among a number fresh club ownership ventures to launch lately. “This is a key differentiator for us. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, however we strongly feel in having that football knowledge on board,” she adds. “Each of us have been on a journey in women’s football, throughout our careers.”

As their website states, the goal of Bay Collective is to support and lead a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, based on what works for the diverse needs of women in sport. Doing that, with everyone on the same page, eliminating the need for persuasion regarding certain decisions, is incredibly freeing.

“I equate it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you must depend on your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that is simple to achieve.”

She continues: “Here, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. In my view, our mission involves shaping the sport 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 our joint endeavor.”

The aspirations are significant, the management are saying the things the football community want to hear and it will be fascinating to monitor the progress of this organization, the club and any clubs added to the portfolio.

For a flavour of what is to come, what factors are essential of a high-performance environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve