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Midweek, Bay Collective disclosed the recruitment of Van Ginhoven, England's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, as their global women's football operations director. The freshly established multi-club ownership body, which includes Bay FC of San Francisco as its inaugural team within its group, has prior experience in hiring individuals from the Football Association.

The appointment this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected previous technical director at the Football Association, as the chief executive served as a clear statement from this organization. She knows women’s football inside out and now has gathered a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of women’s football history and filled with experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third key figure of Wiegman’s setup to exit recently, following Cossington departing prior to Euro 2025 and deputy manager, Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head manager of Holland, however her decision was made earlier.

Moving on was a jarring experience, yet “I had decided to leave the FA some time back”, she states. “I had a contract covering four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina did. As they re-signed, I previously indicated I didn’t know about renewing myself. I had grown accustomed to the thought that following the tournament I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The Euros became a deeply felt event because of this. “I remember very clearly, vividly, speaking with Wiegman where I basically told her about my decision and then we said: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how amazing would it be if we were to win the European Championship?’ In life, it’s not like dreams come true often however, against the odds, ours came true.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she holds dual affections after her time in England, where she was part of winning back-to-back European titles and worked within the manager's team during the Dutch victory in the 2017 European Championship.

“The national team will forever have a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, notably since that the squad are scheduled to come for national team duty in the near future,” she comments. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, which side do I back? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, though tomorrow English white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.

The club was not in the plans when the strategic expert was deciding that it was time for a change, however everything aligned at the right time. Cossington initiated the recruitment and their shared values were key.

“Essentially upon meeting we met we experienced an instant connection,” states she. “We were instantly aligned. We've discussed extensively about different things concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

These executives are among several to relocate from high-profile jobs within European football for an uncharted opportunity in the US. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as the organization's new global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn in the deep faith of the power of women's football,” González explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; during my tenure at Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and such choices are straightforward when you know you are going to be surrounded by colleagues who drive you.”

The depth of knowledge among their staff distinguishes them, notes she, for the collective among a number fresh club ownership ventures that have started over the past few years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, but we definitely believe in having that football knowledge on board,” she states. “The entire leadership have progressed in female football, for most of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the ambition for the collective is to advocate and innovate a progressive and sustainable ecosystem of women’s football clubs, built on proven methods to meet the varied requirements of women. Achieving this, with everyone on the same page, eliminating the need for persuasion for specific initiatives, provides great freedom.

“I equate it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says she. “You are essentially navigating across unmapped territories – a common Dutch expression, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you just need to rely on your own knowledge and expertise to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.”

González notes: “In this role, we start with a blank slate to start with. For me, our mission focuses on impacting football on a wider scale and that clean start enables you to pursue any direction you choose, following the sport's regulations. This is the appeal of our collective project.”

The ambition is high, those in leading roles are saying the things players and fans are eager to hear and it will be interesting to observe the evolution of the collective, the club and other teams that may join.

To get a sense of future plans, 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