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On Wednesday, the Bay Collective group announced the recruitment of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. This freshly established multi-club ownership body, which includes the San Francisco-based Bay FC as its initial addition in its portfolio, has previously engaged in bringing in talent from the Football Association.

The hiring this year of Kay Cossington, the influential ex-technical director for the FA, as top executive was a clear statement by this organization. She knows the women's game inside out and now has put together a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and packed with professional background.

She is the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to leave this year, following Cossington departing before the European Championships and the assistant manager, Arjan Veurink, moving on to become head manager of Holland, however Van Ginhoven's choice came sooner.

Stepping away proved to be a shock to the system, yet “I had decided to exit the national setup some time back”, Van Ginhoven explains. “The terms covering four years, similar to the assistant and head coach did. As they re-signed, I had already said I wasn't sure about renewing myself. I had grown accustomed to the thought that following the tournament I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The Euros turned into a sentimental event due to that. “I remember very clearly, vividly, having a conversation with Sarina when I disclosed regarding my plans and we then remarked: ‘There’s just one dream, how incredible it would be to clinch the European title?’ In reality, it's rare that aspirations are realized every day however, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she experiences split allegiances post her tenure working in England, during which she contributed to 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 forever have a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the squad are due to arrive for national team duty in the near future,” she says. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow it’s white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a lean group like this one, that is simple to achieve.

The club was not part of the equation as the organisational wizard was deciding it was time to move on, however everything aligned perfectly. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and common principles were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we connected we felt immediate synergy,” says she. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length regarding multiple aspects related to developing women's football and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are among several to uproot themselves from prominent roles in the European game for a blank sheet of paper in the US. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, Patricia González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s worldwide sports director.

“I was highly interested in the deep faith of the power of women's football,” González explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward when you know you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The profound understanding in their team distinguishes them, explains Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective among a number recent multi-team projects that have started lately. “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 ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “All three of us have progressed in women’s football, throughout our careers.”

As their website states, the ambition of this group is to support and lead a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, founded on effective practices for the diverse needs of women. Succeeding in this, with collective agreement, with no need to make the case for why you would take certain actions, is hugely liberating.

“I compare it with going from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying through waters that there are no roadmaps for – a common Dutch expression, I don’t know if it translates – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible with a speedboat. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.”

She notes: “Here, we begin with a clean canvas to work from. In my view, what we do involves shaping the sport more extensively and that white paper enables you to pursue whatever you want, within the rules of the game. This is the appeal of our collective project.”

Their goals are lofty, the management are voicing opinions the football community are eager to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of the collective, Bay FC 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