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This past Wednesday, this new ownership entity disclosed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of director of global women’s football operations. The freshly established collective club ownership initiative, with San Francisco’s Bay FC as the initial addition within its group, has prior experience in recruiting from the national football governing body.

The selection earlier this year of Cossington, the well-respected ex-technical director for the FA, as top executive acted as a signal of intent by Bay Collective. Cossington knows the women's game thoroughly and currently has put together a leadership team that possesses extensive knowledge of women’s football history and packed with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third key figure of the manager's inner circle to leave this year, following Cossington leaving prior to Euro 2025 and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to assume the position of head coach of the Dutch national team, but her decision arrived more quickly.

Moving on proved to be a jarring experience, but “My choice was made to exit the national setup well in advance”, Van Ginhoven explains. “My agreement covering four years, just as Veurink and Wiegman did. As they re-signed, I had already said I didn’t know whether I would. I had accepted the notion that post-Euros I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The tournament turned into a sentimental tournament as a result. “I recall distinctly, discussing with Wiegman where I basically told her about my decision and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how amazing would it be if we were to win the European Championship?’ In life, it’s not like hopes materialize often however, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances after her time working in England, where she was part of claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of the coaching setup when the Netherlands won at Euro 2017.

“The national team will forever have a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the players are scheduled to come for national team duty soon,” she notes. “When England plays the Netherlands, who do I support? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

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

The American side was not in the plans as the strategic expert concluded that a new chapter was needed, however the pieces fell into place perfectly. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and their shared values proved essential.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length about different things concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not the only figures to uproot themselves from high-profile jobs in the European game for an uncharted opportunity in the US. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, González, has been announced as the organization's global sporting director.

“I was highly interested to that strong belief of the power within the female sport,” González explains. “I'm familiar with Cossington for many years; during my tenure at Fifa, she was the technical director of England, 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 among their staff distinguishes them, explains Van Ginhoven, for the collective part of a group fresh club ownership ventures to launch 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 having that football knowledge on board,” she adds. “Each of us have traveled a path in female football, for most of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the mission of this group is to support and lead a forward-thinking and durable system for women's football clubs, founded on effective practices for the diverse needs of women. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, eliminating the need for persuasion regarding certain decisions, is hugely liberating.

“I compare it with transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” remarks Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible using a speedboat. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.”

González adds: “With this opportunity, we start with a blank slate to build upon. For me, what we do is about influencing the game on a wider scale and that clean start allows you to do whatever you want, following the sport's regulations. That is the advantage of our joint endeavor.”

Their goals are lofty, the executives are voicing opinions athletes and supporters hope to hear and it will be interesting to observe the evolution of Bay Collective, the club and future additions to the group.

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