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Midweek, this new ownership entity revealed the appointment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This freshly established multi-team ownership group, featuring San Francisco’s Bay FC as the initial addition in its portfolio, has prior experience in recruiting from the national football governing body.

The hiring this year of Cossington, the prominent ex-technical director for the FA, to the CEO role was a clear statement from this organization. She knows women’s football thoroughly and currently has put together a management group with profound insight of the history of women's football and filled with professional background.

She is the third central staffer of Wiegman's coaching team to exit in the current year, following Cossington departing prior to Euro 2025 and assistant coach, Veurink, stepping down to become head manager of the Netherlands, but her move was made earlier.

Moving on has been a shock to the system, yet “My choice was made to exit the national setup some time back”, Van Ginhoven says. “The terms lasting four years, similar to Veurink and Wiegman did. Upon their extension, I had expressed I was uncertain if I would do the same. I was already used to the notion that following the tournament my time with England would end.”

The European Championship turned into an emotional tournament because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with Sarina in which I informed her regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how incredible it would be that we win the Euros?’ In life, it’s not like aspirations are realized every day yet, remarkably, it actually happened.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties following her stint in England, where she was part of securing consecutive European championships and worked within 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 challenging, particularly now knowing that the team are due to arrive for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.

The club was not part of the equation as the organisational wizard was deciding that it was time for a change, however everything aligned opportunely. Cossington initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs were crucial.

“Essentially upon meeting we connected we felt immediate synergy,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “There was immediate understanding. Our conversations have been thorough on various topics around how you grow the game and the methods we believe are correct.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are among several to uproot themselves from high-profile jobs in the European game for an uncharted opportunity across the Atlantic. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been unveiled as the organization's worldwide sports director.

“I was very attracted to that strong belief of the power of the women’s game,” González says. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for a long time; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and decisions like this come naturally when you know you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise within their group makes them unique, explains she, with Bay Collective among a number 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 says. “All three of us have progressed in women’s football, throughout our careers.”

As their website states, the goal of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate an advanced and lasting environment of women’s football clubs, based on what works to meet the varied requirements of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with collective agreement, with no need to make the case for why you would take certain actions, provides great freedom.

“I equate it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving across unmapped territories – as we say in the Netherlands, not sure how it comes across – and you just need to rely on your individual understanding and experience to choose wisely. You can change direction and move quickly using a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that’s easily done.”

She notes: “With this opportunity, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. Personally, our work is about influencing the game more extensively and that clean start allows you to do anything you desire, within the rules of the game. That is the advantage of our collective project.”

The ambition is high, the management are saying the things athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be compelling to monitor the progress of this organization, Bay FC and other teams that may join.

For a flavour of what is to come, what are the key aspects in a high-performance setting? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve