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Midweek, Bay Collective disclosed the recruitment of Anja van Ginhoven, England's general manager working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of director of global women’s football operations. This freshly established collective club ownership initiative, which includes San Francisco’s Bay FC as its inaugural team within its group, has a history in recruiting from the English FA.

The selection in recent months of Kay Cossington, the well-respected ex-technical director for the FA, as the chief executive acted as a clear statement from the collective. Cossington knows female football inside out and currently has put together an executive team that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and packed with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to depart in the current year, with the chief executive exiting before the Euros and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to become manager of Holland, however Van Ginhoven's choice came sooner.

Leaving was a jarring experience, but “I had decided to exit the national setup well in advance”, Van Ginhoven states. “The terms covering four years, just as Veurink and Wiegman did. As they re-signed, I had already said I didn’t know about renewing myself. I was already used to the thought that following the tournament I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The European Championship turned into a deeply felt tournament as a result. “It's sharp in my memory, having a conversation with the head coach when I disclosed of my choice and we then remarked: ‘We share a single dream, how incredible it would be to clinch the European title?’ Generally, it’s not like hopes materialize often yet, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections post her tenure in England, where she was part of winning back-to-back European titles and worked within the manager's team when the Netherlands won in the 2017 European Championship.

“The national team will always hold an emotional connection for me. So, it will be challenging, particularly now knowing that the squad are due to arrive for national team duty soon,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, where do my loyalties lie? Today I have on orange, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.

The club was not in the plans when the organisational wizard was deciding it was time to move on, however the opportunity arose perfectly. The chief executive started to bring people in and mutual beliefs proved essential.

“Essentially upon meeting we met we had that click moment,” remarks she. “We were instantly aligned. Our conversations have been thorough regarding multiple aspects around how you grow the game and what we think is the right way.”

The two leaders are among several to uproot themselves from prominent roles within European football for a blank sheet of paper in the US. The Spanish club's women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief of the power of the women’s game,” she comments. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for an extended period; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and it’s easy to make these decisions knowing you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The profound understanding among their staff distinguishes them, explains Van Ginhoven, for the collective among a number fresh club ownership ventures that have started over the past few years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Various methods are valid, but we are firm in our belief in incorporating football expertise,” she states. “The entire leadership have traveled a path within the women's game, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the ambition of Bay Collective is to champion and pioneer a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, founded on effective practices addressing the different demands of women in sport. Achieving this, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I compare it with going from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating through waters that there are no roadmaps for – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. You can change direction and move quickly with a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.”

She adds: “With this opportunity, we begin with a clean canvas to start with. In my view, our work focuses on impacting football on a much broader level and that white paper enables you to pursue anything you desire, within the rules of the game. That is the advantage of our joint endeavor.”

Their goals are lofty, those in leading roles are voicing opinions players and fans hope to hear and it will be fascinating to monitor the progress of the collective, the club 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