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Midweek, the Bay Collective group announced the appointment of Anja van Ginhoven, England's general manager under head coach Sarina Wiegman, as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This freshly established multi-team ownership group, which includes San Francisco’s Bay FC as the first club within its group, has prior experience in bringing in talent from the Football Association.

The appointment this year of Cossington, the prominent ex-technical director for the FA, as top executive was a demonstration of ambition by this organization. Cossington knows female football comprehensively and currently she has assembled a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of women’s football history and laden with experience.

Van Ginhoven marks the third core member of Wiegman’s setup to leave recently, following Cossington departing before the European Championships and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, leaving to become head coach of the Netherlands, however Van Ginhoven's choice arrived more quickly.

Leaving proved to be a jarring experience, but “I had decided to exit the national setup quite a long time ago”, she explains. “My agreement covering four years, similar to Arjan and Sarina had. Upon their extension, I previously indicated I didn’t know whether I would. I had grown accustomed to the thought that after the European Championship my time with England would end.”

The tournament became a deeply felt event due to that. “I remember very clearly, vividly, speaking with the head coach in which I informed her about my decision and then we said: ‘We share a single dream, how incredible it would be if we were to win the European Championship?’ In reality, dreams don't aspirations are realized frequently but, absolutely incredibly, it actually happened.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she holds dual affections post her tenure working in England, where she helped achieve securing consecutive European championships and served on the manager's team when the Netherlands won at Euro 2017.

“The English side retains a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, notably since that the players are due to arrive for national team duty soon,” she notes. “When England plays the Netherlands, who do I support? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow I'll be in 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 concluded that a new chapter was needed, however the opportunity arose at the right time. Cossington began assembling the team and their shared values were crucial.

“Almost from the very first moment we got together we experienced an instant connection,” states Van Ginhoven. “There was immediate understanding. We've discussed extensively about different things concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

These executives are among several to uproot themselves from high-profile jobs in the European game for a blank sheet of paper in the US. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn in the deep faith of the power of the women’s game,” she says. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for many years; when I used to work at Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and such choices are straightforward when you know you'll be working alongside people who really inspire you.”

The depth of knowledge within their group distinguishes them, notes Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective part of a group new multi-club initiatives that have started lately. “This is a key differentiator for us. Various methods are valid, however we strongly feel in ensuring deep football understanding,” she adds. “The entire leadership have traveled a path in women’s football, for most of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the mission for the collective is to support and lead an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, based on what works to meet the varied requirements of women. Achieving this, with collective agreement, with no need to make the case regarding certain decisions, provides great freedom.

“I liken it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating in uncharted waters – as we say in the Netherlands, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you must depend on your own knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that is simple to achieve.”

She notes: “With this opportunity, we begin with a clean canvas to start with. For me, what we do involves shaping the sport on a wider scale and that clean start permits you to undertake anything you desire, within the rules of the game. That is the advantage of what we are building together.”

Their goals are lofty, the executives are saying the things the football community want to hear and it will be fascinating to observe the evolution of the collective, the club and any clubs added to the portfolio.

To get a sense of future plans, what factors are essential for a top-level environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve