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Midweek, the Bay Collective group revealed the appointment of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. The new multi-team ownership group, with San Francisco’s Bay FC as its inaugural team within its group, has a history in bringing in talent from the Football Association.

The appointment earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected ex-technical director for the FA, as top executive served as a demonstration of ambition from the collective. Cossington understands women’s football inside out and currently she has assembled a management group with profound insight of the evolution of the women's game and packed with practical experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third key figure of the manager's inner circle to depart in the current year, following the chief executive departing before the European Championships and deputy manager, Veurink, moving on to assume the position of head manager of the Netherlands, however Van Ginhoven's choice came sooner.

Leaving has been a shock to the system, but “I had decided to depart the Football Association well in advance”, she states. “The terms for four years, similar to Veurink and Wiegman had. Upon their extension, I had expressed I didn’t know about renewing myself. I had accepted the thought that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The tournament became a deeply felt event due to that. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with the head coach where I basically told her about my decision and we then remarked: ‘We share a single dream, what a triumph it would represent to clinch the European title?’ In life, it's rare that aspirations are realized often however, remarkably, it actually happened.”

Dressed in orange, she holds dual affections following her stint in England, during which she contributed to claiming two Euros in a row and served on the coaching setup when the Netherlands won at Euro 2017.

“England retains a special place in my heart. So, it will be challenging, particularly now knowing that the squad will be arriving for the international camp shortly,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, who do I support? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

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

The club was not initially considered as the management specialist determined it was time to move on, but the pieces fell into place perfectly. Cossington initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs proved essential.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” remarks she. “There was immediate understanding. We've discussed extensively on various topics around how you grow the game and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are not alone to relocate from prominent roles in Europe's football scene for a blank sheet of paper in the US. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, González, has been announced as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I was very attracted by the firm conviction in the potential of women's football,” she comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for a long time; when I used to work at Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and such choices are straightforward when you know you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise within their group makes them unique, explains Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective part of a group fresh club ownership ventures to launch in recent years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Various methods are valid, but we are firm in our belief in ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “The entire leadership have been on a journey in female football, throughout our careers.”

As their website states, the goal of this group is to champion and pioneer a progressive and sustainable ecosystem for women's football clubs, founded on effective practices addressing the different demands of female athletes. Doing that, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for why you would take certain actions, is hugely liberating.

“I liken it to moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving through waters that there are no roadmaps for – a common Dutch expression, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills to make the right decision. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

She notes: “In this role, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. Personally, our work focuses on impacting football on a much broader level and that clean start permits you to undertake whatever you want, within the rules of the game. This is the appeal of our joint endeavor.”

The ambition is high, the management are voicing opinions athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be compelling to monitor the progress of the collective, Bay FC and future additions to the group.

To get a sense of future plans, what factors are essential in a high-performance setting? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve