🔗 Share this article

Midweek, Bay Collective revealed the hiring of Van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under Sarina Wiegman, as their global women's football operations director. The freshly established multi-team ownership group, with Bay FC of San Francisco as the initial addition within its group, has a history in recruiting from the national football governing body.

The hiring this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected former FA technical director, as the chief executive acted as a signal of intent by Bay Collective. Cossington knows women’s football inside out and currently has gathered an executive team with profound insight of the history of women's football and laden with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third key figure of Wiegman’s setup to depart recently, with the chief executive exiting before the Euros and deputy manager, Veurink, leaving to take up the role of head coach of Holland, but her move arrived more quickly.

Stepping away was a jarring experience, yet “My choice was made to exit the national setup quite a long time ago”, she says. “The terms for four years, just as the assistant and head coach did. When they renewed, I had already said I wasn't sure if I would do the same. I had accepted the notion that following the tournament my time with England would end.”

The Euros became a sentimental competition because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with the head coach when I disclosed about my decision and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, what a triumph it would represent that we win the Euros?’ In life, dreams don't dreams come true often yet, absolutely incredibly, it actually happened.”

Dressed in orange, she has divided loyalties after her time working in England, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and was a part of the manager's team during the Dutch victory at Euro 2017.

“The national team retains a special place in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the squad are due to arrive for the upcoming fixtures in the near future,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, which side do I back? Today I have on orange, but tomorrow it’s white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. With a compact team such as ours, that’s easily done.

Bay FC was not initially considered when the strategic expert determined that it was time for a change, however everything aligned opportunely. Cossington started to bring people in and their shared values were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” states Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. We've discussed extensively regarding multiple aspects around how you grow the game and what we think is the right way.”

The two leaders are not the only figures to relocate from well-known positions in Europe's football scene for a blank sheet of paper in the US. The Spanish club's women’s technical director, Patricia González, has been introduced as the organization's worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief regarding the strength of women's football,” she comments. “I'm familiar with Cossington for an extended period; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you are aware you will have around you people who really inspire you.”

The extensive expertise in their team distinguishes them, explains Van Ginhoven, with Bay Collective among a number new multi-club initiatives which have emerged in recent years. “This is a key differentiator for us. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, but we definitely believe in ensuring deep football understanding,” she adds. “All three of us have been on a journey in women’s football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the mission of this group is to champion and pioneer a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, built on proven methods to meet the varied requirements of female athletes. Doing that, with collective agreement, 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 she. “You’re basically driving across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, I don’t know if it translates – and you must depend on your personal insight and skills for making correct choices. You can change direction and move quickly using a speedboat. In a lean group like this, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

She continues: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to work from. Personally, what we do is about influencing the game on a much broader level and that clean start permits you to undertake whatever you want, within the rules of the game. That is the advantage of our collective project.”

The ambition is high, the executives are saying the things players and fans are eager to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of this organization, the team and any clubs added to the portfolio.

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