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Midweek, Bay Collective disclosed the appointment of Van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their director of global women’s football operations. This new multi-club ownership body, which includes San Francisco’s Bay FC as the initial addition among its holdings, has previously engaged in bringing in talent from the national football governing body.

The hiring this year of Cossington, the well-respected previous technical director at the Football Association, as the chief executive was a clear statement from the collective. She knows women’s football comprehensively and now she has assembled a management group with profound insight of women’s football history and packed with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to exit this year, with Cossington exiting before the Euros and assistant coach, Veurink, moving on to assume the position of manager of the Dutch national team, but Van Ginhoven's choice arrived more quickly.

Stepping away was a shock to the system, but “I’d taken my decision to depart the Football Association quite a long time ago”, she states. “The terms for four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina did. As they re-signed, I previously indicated I didn’t know whether I would. I had grown accustomed to the notion that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The European Championship turned into a sentimental event due to that. “I remember very clearly, vividly, speaking with the head coach where I basically told her about my decision and we then remarked: ‘We share a single dream, how incredible it would be that we win the Euros?’ Generally, it’s not like hopes materialize often however, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Dressed in orange, she has divided loyalties after her time with the English team, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and worked within the manager's team during the Dutch victory at Euro 2017.

“The national team will always hold an emotional connection for me. So, it will be challenging, especially with the knowledge that the squad are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures in the near future,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, which side do I back? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow it’s white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. With a compact team such as ours, it's effortless to accomplish.

The American side was not part of the equation as the strategic expert was deciding that it was time for a change, however the pieces fell into place opportunely. Cossington initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs proved essential.

“Almost from the very first moment we connected we had that click moment,” says Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. We've discussed extensively about different things around how you grow the game and the methods we believe are correct.”

The two leaders are among several to uproot themselves from well-known positions within European football for an uncharted opportunity across the Atlantic. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn in the deep faith regarding the strength of the women’s game,” González says. “I have known Kay Cossington for a long time; when I used to work at Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and such choices are straightforward when you are aware you are going to be surrounded by colleagues who drive you.”

The extensive expertise within their group makes them unique, notes she, for the collective among a number fresh club ownership ventures which have emerged over the past few years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Various methods are valid, however we strongly feel in ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “All three of us have traveled a path within the women's game, throughout our careers.”

According to their online statement, the mission for the collective is to advocate and innovate an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, based on what works addressing the different demands of female athletes. Achieving this, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for specific initiatives, provides great freedom.

“I liken it to moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” remarks she. “You're journeying across unmapped territories – as we say in the Netherlands, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you just need to rely on your own knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. You can change direction and move quickly using a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.”

She continues: “In this role, we start with a blank slate to work from. Personally, our work involves shaping the sport more extensively and that blank slate allows you to do any direction you choose, following the sport's regulations. This is the appeal of our collective project.”

The ambition is high, the executives are expressing sentiments athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be compelling to observe the evolution of this organization, the team and future additions to the group.

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