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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 head coach Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This new multi-club ownership body, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as its initial addition in its portfolio, has prior experience in recruiting from the English FA.

The appointment this year of Cossington, the prominent previous technical director at the Football Association, as the chief executive was a clear statement by the collective. Cossington knows 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 filled with professional background.

She is the third key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to exit this year, with Cossington exiting before the European Championships and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, moving on to take up the role of manager of the Dutch national team, however her decision arrived more quickly.

Leaving proved to be a jarring experience, yet “I had decided to exit the national setup some time back”, she states. “The terms for four years, just as Veurink and Wiegman did. Upon their extension, I had expressed I didn’t know if I would do the same. I was already used to the thought that after the European Championship I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The European Championship was an emotional competition because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, having a conversation with Sarina where I basically told her regarding my plans and we then remarked: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how incredible it would be to clinch the European title?’ In reality, dreams don't aspirations are realized frequently yet, against the odds, this one did.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections post her tenure in England, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of the manager's team when the Netherlands won in the 2017 European Championship.

“England will forever have an emotional connection for me. Therefore, it will be difficult, especially with the knowledge that the squad are due to arrive for national team duty shortly,” she notes. “When England plays the Netherlands, which side do I back? Today I have on orange, but tomorrow it’s white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. In a lean group like this one, it's effortless to accomplish.

Bay FC was not part of the equation as the management specialist determined that it was time for a change, however the pieces fell into place perfectly. Cossington initiated the recruitment and common principles were crucial.

“Essentially upon meeting we met we had that click moment,” states Van Ginhoven. “There was immediate understanding. We've discussed extensively on various topics related to developing women's football and the methods we believe are correct.”

These executives are among several to uproot themselves from prominent roles in Europe's football scene for a blank sheet of paper in the United States. The Spanish club's technical director for women's football, Patricia González, has been unveiled as the group's worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn in the deep faith regarding the strength of women's football,” González says. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and it’s easy to make these decisions knowing you will have around you people who really inspire you.”

The extensive expertise among their staff distinguishes them, says she, with Bay Collective part of a group fresh club ownership ventures which have emerged in recent years. “That’s one of our unique selling points. Various methods are valid, but we definitely believe in incorporating football expertise,” she adds. “The entire leadership have traveled a path within the women's game, probably for the best part of our lives.”

As their website states, the ambition for the collective is to champion and pioneer an advanced and lasting environment for women's football clubs, built on proven methods to meet the varied requirements of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, with no need to make the case for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I compare it with going from a tanker to a speedboat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating in uncharted waters – a common Dutch expression, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you must depend on your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible using a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that is simple to achieve.”

González notes: “Here, we start with a blank slate to work from. Personally, our mission is about influencing the game on a much broader level and that white paper enables you to pursue whatever you want, within the rules of the game. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

The ambition is high, the executives are expressing sentiments athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be interesting to observe the evolution of this organization, the club and any clubs added to the portfolio.

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