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Midweek, Bay Collective announced the appointment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. The new multi-team ownership group, which includes the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the initial addition among its holdings, has prior experience in bringing in talent from the national football governing body.

The appointment in recent months of Kay Cossington, the prominent ex-technical director for the FA, as the chief executive acted as a demonstration of ambition by this organization. Cossington is deeply familiar with the women's game comprehensively and currently has gathered a leadership team with profound insight of the evolution of the women's game and laden with experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to exit in the current year, following the chief executive exiting before Euro 2025 and assistant coach, Veurink, moving on to become head manager of the Netherlands, but her move came sooner.

Moving on was a jarring experience, but “I had decided to depart the Football Association some time back”, Van Ginhoven says. “I had a contract covering four years, just as Veurink and Wiegman had. Upon their extension, I had expressed I didn’t know about renewing myself. I had accepted the whole idea that after the European Championship I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The tournament was a sentimental competition as a result. “I recall distinctly, discussing with Wiegman in which I informed her of my choice and then we said: ‘We share a single dream, how amazing would it be to clinch the European title?’ Generally, it’s not like dreams come true frequently but, absolutely incredibly, ours came true.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she experiences split allegiances post her tenure working in England, where she was part of claiming two Euros in a row and worked within the manager's team during the Dutch victory at Euro 2017.

“The English side will forever have a special place in my heart. So, it will be difficult, particularly now knowing that the squad are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures in the near future,” she comments. “When England plays the Netherlands, which side do I back? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow it’s 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 it was time to move on, but everything aligned at the right time. Cossington began assembling the team and mutual beliefs were key.

“Almost from the very first moment we met we experienced an instant connection,” remarks she. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length about different things around how you grow the game and what we think is the right way.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are among several to make a move from high-profile jobs in Europe's football scene for a blank sheet of paper in the US. The Spanish club's women’s technical director, Patricia González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I was highly interested in the deep faith in the potential of women's football,” González explains. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you are aware you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise among their staff distinguishes them, notes Van Ginhoven, with Bay Collective among a number new multi-club initiatives that have started in recent years. “That’s one of our unique selling points. Different approaches are acceptable, but we are firm in our belief in ensuring deep football understanding,” she adds. “The entire leadership have been on a journey within the women's game, for most of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the goal for the collective is to advocate and innovate an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, built on proven methods for the diverse needs of female athletes. Doing that, with unified understanding, without having to justify actions regarding certain decisions, provides great freedom.

“I liken it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, I don’t know if it translates – and you must depend on your own knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that is simple to achieve.”

She adds: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to start with. Personally, our mission focuses on impacting football on a wider scale and that blank slate allows you to do whatever you want, following the sport's regulations. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

The aspirations are significant, those in leading roles are expressing sentiments players and fans are eager to hear and it will be compelling to follow the development of the collective, the team and any clubs added to the portfolio.

As a preview of upcoming developments, 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