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This past Wednesday, this new ownership entity revealed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. This new multi-club ownership body, with San Francisco’s Bay FC as the inaugural team within its group, has previously engaged in bringing in talent from the English FA.

The appointment in recent months of Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role was a clear statement from Bay Collective. She knows the women's game thoroughly and currently she has assembled a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the evolution of the women's game and laden with professional background.

Van Ginhoven marks the third key figure of the manager's inner circle to exit recently, with Cossington departing before the Euros and the assistant manager, Veurink, stepping down to become head manager of the Dutch national team, but her decision came sooner.

Leaving was a shock to the system, yet “I’d taken my decision to exit the national setup quite a long time ago”, she says. “My agreement covering four years, exactly like the assistant and head coach had. Upon their extension, I had already said I was uncertain whether I would. I had grown accustomed to the thought that after the European Championship I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The Euros was a deeply felt event because of this. “I recall distinctly, speaking with Wiegman where I basically told her of my choice and then we said: ‘We share a single dream, what a triumph it would represent to clinch the European title?’ In life, it's rare that dreams come true every day however, remarkably, this one did.”

Wearing a Netherlands-colored shirt, she experiences split allegiances after her time in England, where she helped achieve securing consecutive European championships and worked within the manager's team for the Netherlands’ triumph the 2017 Euros.

“The national team will always hold a dear spot in my heart. So, it will be challenging, especially with the knowledge that the players are scheduled to come for the upcoming fixtures soon,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, who do I support? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. With a compact team such as ours, it's effortless to accomplish.

Bay FC was not part of the equation when the management specialist concluded that a new chapter was needed, but everything aligned opportunely. Cossington initiated the recruitment and their shared values were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we connected we experienced an instant connection,” remarks she. “We were instantly aligned. Our conversations have been thorough on various topics concerning growing the sport and the methods we believe are correct.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not the only figures to uproot themselves from high-profile jobs within European football for a fresh start in the US. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, González, has been introduced as the organization's worldwide sports director.

“I was highly interested in the deep faith regarding the strength of women's football,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for a long time; when I used to work at Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and decisions like this come naturally knowing you'll be working alongside colleagues who drive you.”

The extensive expertise in their team makes them unique, explains Van Ginhoven, as Bay Collective one of several new multi-club initiatives that have started in recent years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Different approaches are acceptable, however we strongly feel in ensuring deep football understanding,” she adds. “Each of us have traveled a path in female football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

As their website states, the ambition of this group is to support and lead an advanced and lasting environment of women’s football clubs, based on what works for the diverse needs of women in sport. Succeeding in this, with everyone on the same page, without having to justify actions for specific initiatives, is incredibly freeing.

“I liken it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says she. “You are essentially navigating in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, I'm unsure if it translates well – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills for making correct choices. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible with a speedboat. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.”

She adds: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to build upon. For me, our mission involves shaping the sport on a wider scale and that clean start permits you to undertake anything you desire, following the sport's regulations. That is the advantage of what we are building together.”

Their goals are lofty, the management are saying the things athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be fascinating to observe the evolution of Bay Collective, the team and future additions to the group.

To get a sense of future plans, 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