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On Wednesday, the Bay Collective group announced the appointment of Van Ginhoven, England's general manager working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their director of global women’s football operations. The freshly established multi-team ownership group, featuring Bay FC of San Francisco as its initial addition in its portfolio, has a history in recruiting from the Football Association.

The selection earlier this year of Cossington, the influential former FA technical director, as the chief executive served as a signal of intent by Bay Collective. Cossington understands women’s football inside out and now she has assembled an executive team with profound insight of the evolution of the women's game and filled with professional background.

Van Ginhoven is the third core member of the manager's inner circle to exit this year, following Cossington exiting before the European Championships and the assistant manager, Veurink, moving on to take up the role of head manager of Holland, however her move came sooner.

Moving on has been a jarring experience, but “I had decided to leave the FA some time back”, Van Ginhoven says. “My agreement for four years, similar to Veurink and Wiegman had. When they renewed, I had expressed I was uncertain if I would do the same. I was already used to the whole idea that after the European Championship I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The European Championship was a deeply felt competition because of this. “I recall distinctly, having a conversation with the head coach when I disclosed of my choice and we then remarked: ‘We share a single dream, how amazing would it be if we were to win the European Championship?’ In reality, it's rare that aspirations are realized frequently but, remarkably, it actually happened.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances after her time in England, during which she contributed to claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of Wiegman’s staff when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.

“The national team will forever have an emotional connection for me. Therefore, it will be difficult, particularly now knowing that the squad will be arriving for national team duty shortly,” she comments. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. With a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.

Bay FC was not initially considered as the strategic expert was deciding it was time to move on, however everything aligned opportunely. The chief executive started to bring people in and common principles proved essential.

“Virtually from the start we connected we had that click moment,” states Van Ginhoven. “There was immediate understanding. We have spoken at length on various topics related to developing women's football and our shared vision for the right approach.”

These executives are not the only figures to make a move from well-known positions within European football for a fresh start in the US. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn by the firm conviction regarding the strength within the female sport,” González explains. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for a long time; back when I was with Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and such choices are straightforward when you know you'll be working alongside people who really inspire you.”

The profound understanding within their group distinguishes them, notes Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective among a number recent multi-team projects which have emerged over the past few years. “This is a key differentiator for us. Different approaches are acceptable, but we definitely believe in having that football knowledge on board,” she adds. “Each of us have been on a journey within the women's game, for most of our lives.”

As their website states, the goal of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate a progressive and sustainable ecosystem for women's football clubs, built on proven methods addressing the different demands of women in sport. Achieving this, with collective agreement, eliminating the need for persuasion for why you would take certain actions, provides great freedom.

“I compare it with transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks she. “You are essentially navigating through waters that there are no roadmaps for – as we say in the Netherlands, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your individual understanding and experience for making correct choices. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly with a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, that is simple to achieve.”

González notes: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to build upon. Personally, our mission is about influencing the game more extensively and that white paper enables you to pursue any direction you choose, following the sport's regulations. This is the appeal of our collective project.”

The aspirations are significant, the executives are saying the things athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be compelling to monitor the progress of Bay Collective, the club and any clubs added to the portfolio.

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