🔗 Share this article

Midweek, Bay Collective disclosed the recruitment of Anja van Ginhoven, England's general manager under head coach Sarina Wiegman, as their global women's football operations director. This freshly established multi-team ownership group, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the first club among its holdings, has a history in recruiting from the Football Association.

The selection this year of Kay Cossington, the prominent former FA technical director, as the chief executive was a clear statement from Bay Collective. She understands female football comprehensively and now she has assembled an executive team with a deep understanding of women’s football history and packed with practical experience.

She is the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to depart in the current year, following the chief executive departing prior to the Euros and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head manager of the Netherlands, but her move was made earlier.

Stepping away proved to be a surprising shift, yet “My choice was made to leave the FA quite a long time ago”, Van Ginhoven explains. “My agreement covering four years, similar to the assistant and head coach did. As they re-signed, I had expressed I wasn't sure about renewing myself. I was already used to the thought that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The European Championship turned into a deeply felt competition as a result. “I remember very clearly, vividly, having a conversation with the head coach when I disclosed of my choice and after which we agreed: ‘There’s just one dream, what a triumph it would represent that we win the Euros?’ In life, dreams don't hopes materialize often however, against the odds, it actually happened.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections after her time with the English team, during which she contributed to securing consecutive European championships and worked within the coaching setup during the Dutch victory the 2017 Euros.

“England retains an emotional connection for me. So, it will be difficult, notably since that the squad are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures shortly,” she notes. “Whenever the two nations face off, 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, that is simple to achieve.

Bay FC was not in the plans as the management specialist was deciding that it was time for a change, but everything aligned opportunely. Cossington initiated the recruitment and common principles were crucial.

“Essentially upon meeting we met we experienced an instant connection,” says Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. Our conversations have been thorough about different things related to developing women's football and our shared vision for the right approach.”

These executives are not the only figures to relocate from high-profile jobs in Europe's football scene for a blank sheet of paper in the US. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, Patricia González, has been unveiled as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I was very attracted by the firm conviction regarding the strength within the female sport,” González explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; back when I was with Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and decisions like this come naturally when you know you'll be working alongside individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise within their group sets them apart, says she, with Bay Collective one of several new multi-club initiatives that have started in recent years. “That’s one of our unique selling points. Various methods are valid, but we are firm in our belief in ensuring deep football understanding,” she adds. “Each of us have been on a journey in female football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the ambition of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, based on what works to meet the varied requirements of female athletes. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, eliminating the need for persuasion regarding certain decisions, is hugely liberating.

“I equate it to moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, not sure how it comes across – and you just need to rely on your individual understanding and experience to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

González continues: “Here, we have a completely white sheet of paper to work from. For me, our work is about influencing the game on a wider scale and that clean start permits you to undertake whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of what we are building together.”

The ambition is high, those in leading roles are expressing sentiments athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be compelling to observe the evolution of this organization, the team and future additions to the group.

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