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This past Wednesday, this new ownership entity disclosed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This freshly established collective club ownership initiative, featuring San Francisco’s Bay FC as its initial addition in its portfolio, has a history in recruiting from the national football governing body.

The hiring in recent months of Kay Cossington, the influential ex-technical director for the FA, as the chief executive served as a demonstration of ambition from Bay Collective. Cossington understands female football comprehensively and currently has gathered a management group with profound insight of the evolution of the women's game and packed with experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third key figure of the manager's inner circle to depart recently, with Cossington departing before the European Championships and assistant coach, Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head manager of the Netherlands, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Moving on has been a shock to the system, but “My choice was made to exit the national setup well in advance”, she explains. “The terms covering four years, just as Arjan and Sarina did. When they renewed, I previously indicated I was uncertain about renewing myself. I was already used to the whole idea that following the tournament my time with England would end.”

The European Championship became a deeply felt tournament because of this. “I recall distinctly, speaking with Sarina when I disclosed of my choice and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ In life, it’s not like hopes materialize every day however, remarkably, ours came true.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties after her time with the English team, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and worked within the coaching setup during the Dutch victory in the 2017 European Championship.

“The national team will forever have a special place in my heart. Therefore, it’s going to be tough, particularly now knowing that the team are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures soon,” she comments. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, which side do I back? I’m wearing orange at the moment, though tomorrow English white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a lean group like this one, it's effortless to accomplish.

The club was not in the plans as the strategic expert was deciding that a new chapter was needed, however the opportunity arose perfectly. Cossington started to bring people in and common principles proved essential.

“Almost from the very first moment we connected we felt immediate synergy,” states she. “We were instantly aligned. We have spoken at length regarding multiple aspects around how you grow the game and our shared vision for the right approach.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not alone to make a move from prominent roles in the European game for a blank sheet of paper in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, González, has been unveiled as the group's new global sporting director.

“I was very attracted in the deep faith of the power of the women’s game,” she explains. “I'm familiar with Cossington for many years; back when I was with Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and it’s easy to make these decisions knowing you will have around you individuals who motivate you.”

The profound understanding within their group makes them unique, says Van Ginhoven, for the collective among a number recent multi-team projects that have started lately. “This is a key differentiator for us. Different approaches are acceptable, however we strongly feel in having that football knowledge on board,” she adds. “All three of us have traveled a path within the women's game, for most of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the mission of this group is to support and lead a forward-thinking and durable system of women’s football clubs, built on proven methods addressing the different demands of female athletes. Achieving this, with unified understanding, eliminating the need for persuasion regarding certain decisions, provides great freedom.

“I compare it with moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating 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 for making correct choices. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

She adds: “Here, we begin with a clean canvas to build upon. In my view, what we do involves shaping the sport on a wider scale and that blank slate enables you to pursue anything you desire, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our collective project.”

The aspirations are significant, the management are voicing opinions athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be compelling to follow the development of Bay Collective, the team and future additions to the group.

To get a sense of future plans, what factors are essential for a top-level environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve