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This past Wednesday, Bay Collective announced the hiring of Van Ginhoven, England's general manager under head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. The new collective club ownership initiative, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the initial addition among its holdings, has previously engaged in hiring individuals from the English FA.

The selection earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected former FA technical director, as the chief executive served as a demonstration of ambition from Bay Collective. Cossington understands women’s football comprehensively and now has gathered a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and filled with experience.

Van Ginhoven marks the third core member of the manager's inner circle to exit recently, following the chief executive leaving prior to the European Championships and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head manager of Holland, but her move was made earlier.

Moving on has been a surprising shift, but “I had decided to exit the national setup some time back”, she says. “I had a contract covering four years, similar to Veurink and Wiegman had. When they renewed, I had expressed I was uncertain if I would do the same. I had accepted the notion that post-Euros I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The European Championship became a deeply felt event as a result. “I remember very clearly, vividly, discussing with the head coach where I basically told her regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ In life, it’s not like hopes materialize frequently however, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties post her tenure with the English team, where she was part of claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of the manager's team for the Netherlands’ triumph in the 2017 European Championship.

“The English side will forever have a special place in my heart. Therefore, it will be difficult, especially with the knowledge that the players will be arriving for national team duty soon,” she notes. “In matches between England and 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. With a compact team such as ours, it's effortless to accomplish.

The American side was not part of the equation when the management specialist determined that a new chapter was needed, however the pieces fell into place opportunely. Cossington began assembling the team and mutual beliefs were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we connected we experienced an instant connection,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. We've discussed extensively on various topics related to developing women's football and our shared vision for the right approach.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not the only figures to uproot themselves from prominent roles in Europe's football scene for a fresh start in the US. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been introduced as the organization's global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn by the firm conviction of the power of women's football,” she comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward when you are aware you will have around you people who really inspire you.”

The depth of knowledge in their team distinguishes them, says she, as Bay Collective one of several fresh club ownership ventures that have started in recent 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 adds. “The entire leadership have progressed within the women's game, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the ambition for the collective is to support and lead an advanced and lasting environment for women's football clubs, based on what works for the diverse needs of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, without having to justify actions regarding certain decisions, is hugely liberating.

“I equate it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks she. “You are essentially navigating in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you must depend on your personal insight and skills for making correct choices. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly in a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

She continues: “In this role, we have a completely white sheet of paper to work from. For me, what we do focuses on impacting football on a much broader level and that blank slate permits you to undertake whatever you want, within the rules of the game. That is the advantage of our joint endeavor.”

Their goals are lofty, the executives are saying the things athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be fascinating to monitor the progress of the collective, the team and any clubs added to the portfolio.

To get a sense of future plans, 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