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On Wednesday, Bay Collective disclosed the appointment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager under head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. This new multi-team ownership group, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the initial addition in its portfolio, has prior experience in recruiting from the English FA.

The appointment this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected former FA technical director, as the chief executive acted as a signal of intent from Bay Collective. Cossington is deeply familiar with women’s football thoroughly and now has put together a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and packed with experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third central staffer of Wiegman's coaching team to exit in the current year, with Cossington leaving prior to Euro 2025 and the assistant manager, Veurink, stepping down to become head manager of the Dutch national team, however Van Ginhoven's choice came sooner.

Leaving has been a jarring experience, yet “I’d taken my decision to depart the Football Association quite a long time ago”, she says. “I had a contract covering four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina did. As they re-signed, I had expressed I wasn't sure about renewing myself. I had grown accustomed to the thought that post-Euros I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The European Championship became an emotional event due to that. “I recall distinctly, having a conversation with Sarina where I basically told her of my choice and we then remarked: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, what a triumph it would represent that we win the Euros?’ Generally, it's rare that hopes materialize often yet, remarkably, it actually happened.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she experiences split allegiances post her tenure in England, where she helped achieve securing consecutive European championships and worked within the coaching setup for the Netherlands’ triumph in the 2017 European Championship.

“England will forever have a special place in my heart. So, it will be challenging, notably since that the team are scheduled to come for the international camp in the near future,” she notes. “Whenever the two nations face off, where do my loyalties lie? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.

The club was not part of the equation as the organisational wizard determined it was time to move on, but the opportunity arose perfectly. Cossington initiated the recruitment and their shared values were key.

“Almost from the very first moment we met we had that click moment,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “There was immediate understanding. We've discussed extensively about different things concerning growing the sport and the methods we believe are correct.”

The two leaders are not the only figures to relocate from prominent roles in the European game for an uncharted opportunity in the US. The Spanish club's women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as the group's global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief in the potential of the women’s game,” she says. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for an extended period; back when I was with Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and decisions like this come naturally knowing you'll be working alongside people who really inspire you.”

The extensive expertise within their group sets them apart, explains she, with Bay Collective one of several fresh club ownership ventures which have emerged over the past few years. “That’s one of our unique selling points. Various methods are valid, but we are firm in our belief in incorporating football expertise,” she says. “All three of us have been on a journey in women’s football, throughout our careers.”

According to their online statement, the mission for the collective is to champion and pioneer an advanced and lasting environment for women's football clubs, built on proven methods for the diverse needs of female athletes. Achieving this, with everyone on the same page, eliminating the need for persuasion for why you would take certain actions, is hugely liberating.

“I equate it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving across unmapped territories – as we say in the Netherlands, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your own knowledge and expertise to choose wisely. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly using a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.”

She adds: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to start with. For me, our work involves shaping the sport more extensively and that clean start allows you to do whatever you want, following the sport's regulations. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

Their goals are lofty, the management are voicing opinions athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be interesting to observe the evolution of the collective, the club and other teams that may join.

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