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Midweek, Bay Collective disclosed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of director of global women’s football operations. The freshly established collective club ownership initiative, with Bay FC of San Francisco as the initial addition within its group, has prior experience in hiring individuals from the national football governing body.

The appointment this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected previous technical director at the Football Association, as the chief executive acted as a demonstration of ambition from the collective. She knows female football thoroughly and currently has gathered a leadership team with profound insight of the evolution of the women's game and filled with practical experience.

She is the third central staffer of the manager's inner circle to leave in the current year, with the chief executive departing before the European Championships and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, leaving to take up the role of manager of Holland, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Leaving proved to be a surprising shift, but “I had decided to depart the Football Association some time back”, Van Ginhoven explains. “My agreement covering four years, just as the assistant and head coach did. When they renewed, I had already said I didn’t know if I would do the same. I had grown accustomed to the whole idea that following the tournament I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The European Championship became an emotional competition due to that. “I remember very clearly, vividly, speaking with Sarina when I disclosed regarding my plans and then we said: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, what a triumph it would represent that we win the Euros?’ In reality, dreams don't hopes materialize frequently yet, remarkably, this one did.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances after her time working in England, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of the coaching setup for the Netherlands’ triumph in the 2017 European Championship.

“The English side will always hold an emotional connection for me. So, it’s going to be tough, notably since that the players will be arriving for the upcoming fixtures soon,” she notes. “Whenever the two nations face off, where do my loyalties lie? Today I have on orange, though tomorrow English white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. With a compact team such as ours, that is simple to achieve.

The American side was not in the plans when the management specialist determined that it was time for a change, but the pieces fell into place perfectly. Cossington initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs proved essential.

“Almost from the very first moment we got together we experienced an instant connection,” remarks she. “There was immediate understanding. We've discussed extensively on various topics concerning growing the sport and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are not alone to make a move from high-profile jobs within European football for an uncharted opportunity in the US. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, González, has been announced as the group's worldwide sports director.

“I was highly interested by the firm conviction regarding the strength of the women’s game,” she says. “I have known Kay Cossington for a long time; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward when you know you will have around you colleagues who drive you.”

The extensive expertise within their group distinguishes them, notes Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective part of a group fresh club ownership ventures to launch in recent years. “This is a key differentiator for us. Various methods are valid, however we strongly feel in having that football knowledge on board,” she says. “All three of us have progressed within the women's game, probably for the best part of our lives.”

As their website states, the mission of Bay Collective is to support and lead a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, founded on effective practices for the diverse needs of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with everyone on the same page, eliminating the need for persuasion for why you would take certain actions, provides great freedom.

“I compare it with moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” states she. “You’re basically driving across unmapped territories – 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. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.”

She notes: “Here, we start with a blank slate to start with. For me, what we do focuses on impacting football more extensively and that clean start allows you to do whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. That is the advantage of our collective project.”

The ambition is high, the executives are expressing sentiments athletes and supporters hope to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of Bay Collective, Bay FC and other teams that may join.

For a flavour of what is to come, what are the key aspects of a high-performance environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve