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On Wednesday, Bay Collective announced the recruitment of Anja van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This freshly established multi-team ownership group, with the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the initial addition within its group, has previously engaged in hiring individuals from the English FA.

The selection this year of Cossington, the prominent ex-technical director for the FA, as top executive acted as a signal of intent from this organization. She is deeply familiar with women’s football comprehensively and now has gathered a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of women’s football history and packed with professional background.

She marks the third key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to exit in the current year, with Cossington exiting prior to the European Championships and the assistant manager, Veurink, moving on to take up the role of head coach of the Dutch national team, however her move arrived more quickly.

Moving on has been a jarring experience, yet “I had decided to depart the Football Association some time back”, Van Ginhoven says. “I had a contract covering four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina had. Upon their extension, I had already said I was uncertain whether I would. I was already used to the whole idea that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The tournament turned into a deeply felt tournament because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with Sarina where I basically told her of my choice and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how incredible it would be if we were to win the European Championship?’ Generally, dreams don't hopes materialize every day but, against the odds, it actually happened.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances post her tenure in England, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and was a part of the manager's team when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.

“The national team will forever have a special place in my heart. Therefore, it will be challenging, notably since that the players are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she notes. “When England plays the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. With a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.

The club was not in the plans as the management specialist was deciding that it was time for a change, however the opportunity arose at the right time. Cossington initiated the recruitment and their shared values were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” says Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length on various topics around how you grow the game and our shared vision for the right approach.”

These executives are among several to make a move from well-known positions within European football for a blank sheet of paper in the US. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, González, has been introduced as the group's global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn by the firm conviction regarding the strength of women's football,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for a long time; back when I was with Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and decisions like this come naturally when you are aware you'll be working alongside people who really inspire you.”

The depth of knowledge within their group distinguishes them, notes she, with Bay Collective among a number new multi-club initiatives 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 are firm in our belief in ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “All three of us have progressed within the women's game, throughout our careers.”

As their website states, the ambition for the collective is to champion and pioneer a forward-thinking and durable system of women’s football clubs, built on proven methods for the diverse needs of women in sport. Achieving this, with unified understanding, without having to justify actions regarding certain decisions, is hugely liberating.

“I liken it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, I don’t know if it translates – and you just need to rely 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, that’s easily done.”

González continues: “With this opportunity, we begin with a clean canvas to start with. For me, our work involves shaping the sport on a wider scale and that clean start permits you to undertake anything you desire, following the sport's regulations. That’s the beauty of our collective project.”

The ambition is high, the executives are expressing sentiments the football community want to hear and it will be fascinating to follow the development of this organization, Bay FC and future additions to the group.

As a preview of upcoming developments, what factors are essential for a top-level environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve