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On Wednesday, this new ownership entity announced the recruitment of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their director of global women’s football operations. The freshly established collective club ownership initiative, with the San Francisco-based Bay FC as its initial addition among its holdings, has previously engaged in recruiting from the English FA.

The selection in recent months of Kay Cossington, the well-respected previous technical director at the Football Association, as the chief executive acted as a clear statement by Bay Collective. She knows women’s football thoroughly and currently she has assembled a leadership team with a deep understanding of the evolution of the women's game and packed with practical experience.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to depart in the current year, following Cossington leaving prior to Euro 2025 and deputy manager, Veurink, moving on to take up the role of head manager of Holland, but her move was made earlier.

Leaving has been a shock to the system, yet “My choice was made to leave the FA some time back”, Van Ginhoven says. “The terms covering four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina had. Upon their extension, I had expressed I didn’t know if I would do the same. I had grown accustomed to the notion that after the European Championship my time with England would end.”

The European Championship was a deeply felt competition because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, having a conversation with the head coach when I disclosed regarding my plans and then we said: ‘We share a single dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ In reality, it’s not like dreams come true every day but, absolutely incredibly, it actually happened.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she experiences split allegiances post her tenure with the English team, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of the manager's team when the Netherlands won in the 2017 European Championship.

“England will always hold a special place in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, notably since that the squad are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, who do I support? Today I have on orange, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, it's effortless to accomplish.

The American side was not in the plans as the strategic expert determined it was time to move on, however everything aligned opportunely. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs proved essential.

“Essentially upon meeting we connected we experienced an instant connection,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length about different things concerning growing the sport and our shared vision for the right approach.”

These executives are not the only figures to relocate from high-profile jobs within European football for a fresh start in the United States. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, González, has been unveiled as the organization's global sporting director.

“I was very attracted by the firm conviction regarding the strength of women's football,” González explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and such choices are straightforward knowing you are going to be surrounded by colleagues who drive you.”

The depth of knowledge among their staff sets them apart, notes Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective part of a group new multi-club initiatives to launch lately. “That’s one of our unique selling points. Various methods are valid, but we definitely believe in ensuring deep football understanding,” she adds. “All three of us have traveled a path in female football, throughout our careers.”

As their website states, the goal of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, built on proven methods to meet the varied requirements of women. Achieving this, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for why you would take certain actions, is hugely liberating.

“I compare it with moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, I don’t know if it translates – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills to make the right decision. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly with a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that is simple to achieve.”

González continues: “In this role, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. In my view, our work is about influencing the game more extensively and that clean start allows you to do any direction you choose, within the rules of the game. That is the advantage of our collective project.”

Their goals are lofty, the executives are saying the things athletes and supporters hope to hear and it will be interesting to monitor the progress of the collective, 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