🔗 Share this article

On Wednesday, this new ownership entity disclosed the appointment of Anja van Ginhoven, England's general manager working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their director of global women’s football operations. The freshly established multi-club ownership body, with the San Francisco-based Bay FC as its inaugural team among its holdings, has prior experience in recruiting from the English FA.

The appointment in recent months of Kay Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role acted as a clear statement by the collective. Cossington understands the women's game thoroughly and now has gathered a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and laden with professional background.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third central staffer of Wiegman's coaching team to leave in the current year, with the chief executive exiting before the European Championships and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head manager of the Netherlands, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Moving on was a surprising shift, but “My choice was made to leave the FA well in advance”, Van Ginhoven explains. “My agreement covering four years, similar to Arjan and Sarina had. When they renewed, I had expressed I was uncertain if I would do the same. I had accepted the thought that following the tournament my time with England would end.”

The Euros was an emotional tournament due to that. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with Sarina where I basically told her regarding my plans and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how incredible it would be if we were to win the European Championship?’ In reality, it’s not like dreams come true frequently but, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she holds dual affections post her tenure in England, where she helped achieve securing consecutive European championships and worked within Wiegman’s staff during the Dutch victory the 2017 Euros.

“The national team will always hold an emotional connection for me. So, it will be challenging, especially with the knowledge that the players are due to arrive for national team duty in the near future,” she notes. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, which side do I back? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. With a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.

The American side was not part of the equation as the management specialist was deciding it was time to move on, however the pieces fell into place perfectly. Cossington began assembling the team and common principles proved essential.

“Virtually from the start we met we had that click moment,” says she. “You’re immediately on the same level. We've discussed extensively about different things concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

The two leaders are not alone to uproot themselves from well-known positions in Europe's football scene for a blank sheet of paper across the Atlantic. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been unveiled as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief regarding the strength of the women’s game,” González comments. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you know you are going to be surrounded by colleagues who drive you.”

The profound understanding in their team sets them apart, explains she, with Bay Collective one of several fresh club ownership ventures that have started in recent years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Various methods are valid, but we definitely believe in ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “All three of us have progressed in women’s football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the goal for the collective is to champion and pioneer an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, built on proven methods to meet the varied requirements of female athletes. Doing that, with everyone on the same page, with no need to make the case for specific initiatives, is hugely liberating.

“I equate it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating across unmapped territories – a common Dutch expression, not sure how it comes across – and you just need to rely on your personal insight and skills for making correct choices. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible using a speedboat. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.”

González continues: “In this role, we have a completely white sheet of paper to build upon. Personally, our mission involves shaping the sport on a wider scale and that clean start enables you to pursue anything you desire, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

The aspirations are significant, those in leading roles are expressing sentiments players and fans want to hear and it will be fascinating to follow the development of Bay Collective, Bay FC and future additions to the group.

To get a sense of future plans, what factors are essential of a high-performance environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve