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This past Wednesday, the Bay Collective group revealed the recruitment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of overseer of worldwide women's football activities. The freshly established collective club ownership initiative, featuring San Francisco’s Bay FC as the inaugural team within its group, has prior experience in recruiting from the Football Association.

The appointment this year of Kay Cossington, the prominent former FA technical director, as the chief executive was a demonstration of ambition by this organization. She understands the women's game thoroughly and currently she has assembled a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the evolution of the women's game and packed with practical experience.

Van Ginhoven marks the third core member of the manager's inner circle to exit recently, with the chief executive exiting before the European Championships and the assistant manager, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to assume the position of head coach of Holland, but her decision arrived more quickly.

Leaving proved to be a jarring experience, but “I’d taken my decision to leave the FA well in advance”, she says. “My agreement lasting four years, just as Veurink and Wiegman had. Upon their extension, I had expressed I was uncertain if I would do the same. I was already used to the thought that after the European Championship I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The tournament was a sentimental competition due to that. “I remember very clearly, vividly, having a conversation with Sarina in which I informed her about my decision and after which we agreed: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ In reality, dreams don't aspirations are realized every day but, absolutely incredibly, it actually happened.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections post her tenure in England, during which she contributed to securing consecutive European championships and worked within the coaching setup when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.

“England will always hold an emotional connection for me. Therefore, it will be difficult, particularly now knowing that the players will be arriving for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she comments. “When England plays the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? Today I have on orange, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.

The club was not part of the equation when the organisational wizard determined that a new chapter was needed, however the opportunity arose at the right time. The chief executive began assembling the team and common principles were key.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. Our conversations have been thorough regarding multiple aspects concerning growing the sport and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are not alone to relocate from well-known positions in Europe's football scene for an uncharted opportunity in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, Patricia González, has been announced as the group's worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief in the potential of the women’s game,” González says. “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 are going to be surrounded by people who really inspire you.”

The depth of knowledge in their team sets them apart, explains Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective one of several recent multi-team projects that have started over the past few years. “This is a key differentiator for us. Different approaches are acceptable, but we are firm in our belief in incorporating football expertise,” she says. “The entire leadership have been on a journey in female football, throughout our careers.”

According to their online statement, the goal of this group is to advocate and innovate a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, founded on effective practices addressing the different demands of female athletes. Doing that, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I liken it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying through waters that there are no roadmaps for – that’s a Dutch saying, not sure how it comes across – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills to make the right decision. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

González adds: “Here, we begin with a clean canvas to start with. Personally, what we do involves shaping the sport on a wider scale and that clean start allows you to do any direction you choose, within the rules of the game. This is the appeal of what we are building together.”

The aspirations are significant, those in leading roles are voicing opinions the football community want to hear and it will be interesting to monitor the progress of the collective, the team and any clubs added to the portfolio.

As a preview of upcoming developments, which elements are crucial of a high-performance environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve