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On Wednesday, Bay Collective revealed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, England's general manager under head coach Sarina Wiegman, as their global women's football operations director. This freshly established multi-team ownership group, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as its first club in its portfolio, has previously engaged in recruiting from the national football governing body.

The selection earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the prominent former FA technical director, as top executive was a demonstration of ambition from this organization. She knows women’s football inside out and now has gathered a leadership team with profound insight of the evolution of the women's game and packed with practical experience.

Van Ginhoven is the third core member of Wiegman’s setup to depart recently, following the chief executive departing before the Euros and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to become manager of the Netherlands, but Van Ginhoven's choice arrived more quickly.

Leaving proved to be a shock to the system, yet “I’d taken my decision to leave the FA quite a long time ago”, she explains. “The terms covering four years, just as Veurink and Wiegman had. Upon their extension, I had already said I didn’t know about renewing myself. I had grown accustomed to the whole idea that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The Euros became an emotional competition due to that. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with the head coach in which I informed her of my choice and we then remarked: ‘We share a single dream, what a triumph it would represent to clinch the European title?’ In reality, it’s not like hopes materialize frequently but, remarkably, ours came true.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections after her time working in England, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and worked within the manager's team when the Netherlands won in the 2017 European Championship.

“England retains a special place in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the team are due to arrive for the international camp shortly,” she notes. “Whenever the two nations face off, which side do I back? I’m wearing orange at the moment, though tomorrow English white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.

The club was not part of the equation when the management specialist was deciding it was time to move on, however everything aligned at the right time. Cossington began assembling the team and their shared values proved essential.

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

These executives are not alone to relocate from high-profile jobs within European football for a fresh start in the US. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn in the deep faith of the power within the female sport,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you know you'll be working alongside individuals who motivate you.”

The depth of knowledge within their group makes them unique, notes Van Ginhoven, with Bay Collective among a number new multi-club initiatives that have started lately. “This is a key differentiator for us. Different approaches are acceptable, but we definitely believe in incorporating football expertise,” she says. “All three of us have been on a journey within the women's game, throughout our careers.”

According to their online statement, the ambition of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate an advanced and lasting environment for women's football clubs, based on what works for the diverse needs of female athletes. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, with no need to make the case regarding certain decisions, provides great freedom.

“I compare it with moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating through waters that there are no roadmaps for – as we say in the Netherlands, I don’t know if it translates – and you must depend on your own knowledge and expertise for making correct choices. You can change direction and move quickly using a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

González continues: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to work from. In my view, our work is about influencing the game on a wider scale and that blank slate allows you to do anything you desire, within the rules of the game. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

The aspirations are significant, the executives are expressing sentiments the football community hope to hear and it will be compelling to monitor the progress of the collective, the team and future additions to the group.

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