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On Wednesday, Bay Collective announced the hiring of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager under Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This freshly established collective club ownership initiative, featuring Bay FC of San Francisco as its initial addition among its holdings, has a history in hiring individuals from the national football governing body.

The selection this year of Cossington, the well-respected former FA technical director, as the chief executive served as a clear statement from Bay Collective. Cossington understands women’s football inside out and currently has put together a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and filled with experience.

She becomes the third central staffer of Wiegman's coaching team to depart in the current year, following Cossington exiting prior to Euro 2025 and deputy manager, Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head manager of the Netherlands, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Moving on was a surprising shift, yet “My choice was made to leave the FA quite a long time ago”, she says. “I had a contract for four years, exactly like the assistant and head coach had. As they re-signed, I previously indicated I didn’t know if I would do the same. I had grown accustomed to the thought that following the tournament I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The Euros became a sentimental event because of this. “I remember very clearly, vividly, speaking with Sarina when I disclosed regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘There’s just one dream, what a triumph it would represent if we were to win the European Championship?’ In life, it’s not like hopes materialize often yet, absolutely incredibly, ours came true.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties after her time with the English team, during which she contributed to securing consecutive European championships and served on the manager's team when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.

“The English side will always hold a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the team are due to arrive for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, where do my loyalties lie? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow it’s white.”

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

The American side was not in the plans as the management specialist determined it was time to move on, but the pieces fell into place at the right time. The chief executive began assembling the team and their shared values proved essential.

“Essentially upon meeting we connected we experienced an instant connection,” says Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. We have spoken at length on various topics related to developing women's football and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are not the only figures to relocate from well-known positions in Europe's football scene for an uncharted opportunity in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been unveiled as Bay Collective’s global sporting director.

“I was very attracted to that strong belief of the power within the female sport,” she explains. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for many years; when I used to work at Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you know you are going to be surrounded by people who really inspire you.”

The depth of knowledge among their staff sets them apart, says she, for the collective among a number new multi-club initiatives that have started over the past few years. “This is a key differentiator for us. Various methods are valid, however we strongly feel in ensuring deep football understanding,” she says. “The entire leadership have progressed in women’s football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the mission for the collective is to advocate and innovate a progressive and sustainable ecosystem of women’s football clubs, based on what works for the diverse needs of female athletes. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, without having to justify actions for why you would take certain actions, provides great freedom.

“I liken 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, not sure how it comes across – and it's necessary to trust your own knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly using a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that is simple to achieve.”

González continues: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to build upon. Personally, what we do focuses on impacting football more extensively and that white paper allows you to do any direction you choose, within the rules of the game. This is the appeal of what we are building together.”

The aspirations are significant, the management are saying the things athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of Bay Collective, the club and any clubs added to the portfolio.

To get a sense of future plans, 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