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On Wednesday, Bay Collective disclosed the appointment of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. The new multi-club ownership body, which includes Bay FC of San Francisco as the inaugural team among its holdings, has prior experience in recruiting from the Football Association.

The hiring this year of Cossington, the influential former FA technical director, as top executive was a signal of intent from the collective. Cossington knows the women's game comprehensively and currently has put together an executive team that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and laden with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third core member of Wiegman’s setup to leave this year, following Cossington departing prior to the European Championships and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, moving on to assume the position of head coach of the Netherlands, but her decision was made earlier.

Stepping away has been a shock to the system, but “My choice was made to exit the national setup quite a long time ago”, Van Ginhoven states. “I had a contract lasting four years, just as Arjan and Sarina had. When they renewed, I had expressed I wasn't sure whether I would. I had accepted the whole idea that following the tournament my time with England would end.”

The European Championship became a deeply felt competition as a result. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with the head coach in which I informed her regarding my plans and then we said: ‘There’s just one dream, how incredible it would be that we win the Euros?’ In life, dreams don't aspirations are realized frequently but, against the odds, ours came true.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances following her stint with the English team, during which she contributed to securing consecutive European championships and was a part of the manager's team for the Netherlands’ triumph the 2017 Euros.

“The English side will forever have a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the players are due to arrive for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she notes. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, which side do I back? 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, that is simple to achieve.

The club was not in the plans when the management specialist was deciding it was time to move on, but the opportunity arose opportunely. Cossington initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we got together we experienced an instant connection,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length regarding multiple aspects related to developing women's football and what we think is the right way.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not alone to uproot themselves from well-known positions in the European game for an uncharted opportunity across the Atlantic. The Spanish club's women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I was highly interested to that strong belief of the power of the women’s game,” she explains. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for an extended period; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and decisions like this come naturally when you are aware you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The profound understanding among their staff sets them apart, notes Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective one of several new multi-club initiatives which have emerged over the past few years. “This is a key differentiator for us. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, however we strongly feel in ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “All three of us have progressed in women’s football, for most of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the mission of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate an advanced and lasting environment for women's football clubs, built on proven methods for the diverse needs of women in sport. Doing that, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I equate it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying through waters that there are no roadmaps for – as we say in the Netherlands, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you just need to rely on your personal insight and skills for making correct choices. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.”

She notes: “In this role, 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 clean start permits you to undertake any direction you choose, following the sport's regulations. That is the advantage of our collective project.”

The aspirations are significant, the management are expressing sentiments the football community are eager to hear and it will be fascinating to observe the evolution of this organization, the club and other teams that may join.

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