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On Wednesday, the Bay Collective group announced the recruitment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This new collective club ownership initiative, which includes the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the inaugural team in its portfolio, has a history in bringing in talent from the national football governing body.

The appointment this year of Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role was a demonstration of ambition from Bay Collective. She is deeply familiar with female football inside out and currently has gathered a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and packed with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to exit recently, following the chief executive exiting before Euro 2025 and the assistant manager, Veurink, leaving to become head coach of the Netherlands, however Van Ginhoven's choice arrived more quickly.

Stepping away proved to be a jarring experience, yet “I had decided to depart the Football Association quite a long time ago”, she explains. “I had a contract lasting four years, similar to Arjan and Sarina did. Upon their extension, I had expressed I wasn't sure whether I would. I had accepted the notion that following the tournament I would no longer be involved with the national team.”

The European Championship was an emotional tournament as a result. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with the head coach when I disclosed regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘We share a single dream, how incredible it would be to clinch the European title?’ Generally, dreams don't hopes materialize every day but, remarkably, ours came true.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she experiences split allegiances post her tenure in England, where she was part of winning back-to-back European titles and was a part of the coaching setup for the Netherlands’ triumph at Euro 2017.

“England will forever have a special place in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, notably since that the team are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures in the near future,” she comments. “When England plays the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow it’s white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. With a compact team such as ours, that is simple to achieve.

The American side was not in the plans as the management specialist was deciding it was time to move on, however everything aligned opportunely. Cossington initiated the recruitment and common principles were crucial.

“Essentially upon meeting we met we felt immediate synergy,” says Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. We have spoken at length about different things related to developing women's football and what we think is the right way.”

The two leaders are among several to make a move from prominent roles in the European game for a fresh start in the United States. The Spanish club's technical director for women's football, González, has been unveiled as Bay Collective’s global sporting director.

“I felt strongly drawn by the firm conviction of the power within the female sport,” she explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you are aware you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise within their group makes them unique, explains she, with Bay Collective among a number new multi-club initiatives to launch lately. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Various methods are valid, however we strongly feel in having that football knowledge on board,” she states. “All three of us have traveled a path in female football, for most of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the ambition for the collective is to support and lead a progressive and sustainable ecosystem for women's football clubs, based on what works to meet the varied requirements of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with collective agreement, with no need to make the case for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I compare it with going from a tanker to a speedboat,” states she. “You are essentially navigating across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your own knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible using a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that is simple to achieve.”

González notes: “With this opportunity, we start with a blank slate to start with. In my view, our work involves shaping the sport more extensively and that blank slate enables you to pursue whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

The ambition is high, those in leading roles are voicing opinions athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be interesting to monitor the progress of this organization, the team and future additions to the group.

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