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On Wednesday, Bay Collective revealed the hiring of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's general manager under Sarina Wiegman, as their global women's football operations director. This new multi-team ownership group, with the San Francisco-based Bay FC as its first club among its holdings, has prior experience in recruiting from the Football Association.

The hiring in recent months of Kay Cossington, the well-respected ex-technical director for the FA, to the CEO role was a signal of intent from this organization. Cossington is deeply familiar with women’s football inside out and currently has put together an executive team with a deep understanding of the evolution of the women's game and laden with professional background.

She marks the third central staffer of Wiegman's coaching team to exit in the current year, with the chief executive exiting before the Euros and the assistant manager, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to become head coach of the Netherlands, however her decision came sooner.

Leaving was a shock to the system, but “My choice was made to depart the Football Association well in advance”, Van Ginhoven explains. “The terms covering four years, exactly like Veurink and Wiegman did. Upon their extension, I previously indicated I wasn't sure if I would do the same. I was already used to the whole idea that after the European Championship I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The Euros turned into a deeply felt tournament due to that. “It's sharp in my memory, having a conversation with Wiegman where I basically told her about my decision and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be to clinch the European title?’ Generally, it’s not like aspirations are realized every day but, remarkably, ours came true.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances after her time with the English team, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and worked within Wiegman’s staff when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.

“England retains a special place in my heart. So, it will be challenging, particularly now knowing that the squad are scheduled to come for national team duty soon,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, where do my loyalties lie? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow it’s white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. In a lean group like this one, that’s easily done.

The club was not initially considered when the organisational wizard determined that a new chapter was needed, but the pieces fell into place perfectly. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and common principles proved essential.

“Virtually from the start we got together we experienced an instant connection,” says 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.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not the only figures to make a move from high-profile jobs in Europe's football scene for an uncharted opportunity across the Atlantic. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, González, has been announced as the group's worldwide sports director.

“I was very attracted in the deep faith regarding the strength of women's football,” she says. “I'm familiar with Cossington for an extended period; back when I was with Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward knowing you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The profound understanding among their staff sets them apart, explains she, for the collective part of a group fresh club ownership ventures to launch lately. “It's a standout feature of our approach. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, but we definitely believe in having that football knowledge on board,” she says. “The entire leadership have traveled a path within the women's game, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the ambition of this group is to champion and pioneer an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, based on what works to meet the varied requirements of female athletes. Achieving this, with collective agreement, with no need to make the case for why you would take certain actions, is incredibly freeing.

“I liken it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” states she. “You’re basically driving through waters that there are no roadmaps for – 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 in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that’s easily done.”

González notes: “With this opportunity, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. For me, what we do is about influencing the game more extensively and that blank slate permits you to undertake whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. This is the appeal of our joint endeavor.”

The aspirations are significant, the management are voicing opinions athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of this organization, Bay FC and other teams that may join.

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