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Midweek, this new ownership entity disclosed the hiring of Van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, as their global women's football operations director. This freshly established multi-club ownership body, featuring Bay FC of San Francisco as its initial addition among its holdings, has a history in bringing in talent from the national football governing body.

The selection earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the well-respected ex-technical director for the FA, as the chief executive served as a signal of intent from Bay Collective. Cossington understands women’s football thoroughly and currently she has assembled a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and packed with professional background.

She becomes the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to exit this year, following Cossington leaving prior to the Euros and assistant coach, Veurink, moving on to become head coach of the Dutch national team, however her decision arrived more quickly.

Stepping away proved to be a jarring experience, yet “My choice was made to exit the national setup well in advance”, she says. “The terms for four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina had. Upon their extension, I had already said I wasn't sure if I would do the same. I had grown accustomed to the thought that following the tournament I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The tournament became an emotional competition because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with the head coach where I basically told her of my choice and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ In reality, dreams don't aspirations are realized frequently however, against the odds, it actually happened.”

Dressed in orange, she holds dual affections following her stint in England, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and was a part of the manager's team for the Netherlands’ triumph the 2017 Euros.

“The English side will always hold a special place in my heart. So, it will be difficult, especially with the knowledge that the players are due to arrive for the international camp shortly,” she comments. “When England plays the Netherlands, who do I support? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. With a compact team such as ours, it's effortless to accomplish.

Bay FC was not initially considered as the strategic expert was deciding that it was time for a change, but the opportunity arose perfectly. Cossington began assembling the team and mutual beliefs proved essential.

“Essentially upon meeting we connected we experienced an instant connection,” remarks she. “You’re immediately on the same level. Our conversations have been thorough on various topics around how you grow the game and what we think is the right way.”

The two leaders are among several to relocate from well-known positions within European football for a blank sheet of paper across the Atlantic. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, González, has been announced as the group's global sporting director.

“I was very attracted by the firm conviction regarding the strength within the female sport,” she comments. “I've been acquainted with Kay Cossington for a long time; back when I was with Fifa, she was the technical director of England, and it’s easy to make these decisions when you know you'll be working alongside people who really inspire you.”

The profound understanding within their group makes them unique, explains Van Ginhoven, for the collective one of several recent multi-team projects which have emerged lately. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Different approaches are acceptable, 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, for most of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the mission of Bay Collective is to support and lead an advanced and lasting environment of women’s football clubs, built on proven methods addressing the different demands 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,” states Van Ginhoven. “You are essentially navigating across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you just need to rely on your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

González adds: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to start with. In my view, our mission is about influencing the game on a much broader level and that blank slate allows you to do anything you desire, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

Their goals are lofty, the management are saying the things players and fans hope to hear and it will be fascinating to monitor the progress of the collective, Bay FC and future additions to the group.

For a flavour of what is to come, 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