🔗 Share this article

This past Wednesday, Bay Collective disclosed the recruitment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of global women's football operations director. This freshly established multi-team ownership group, featuring Bay FC of San Francisco as its inaugural team in its portfolio, has a history in recruiting from the Football Association.

The appointment earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role was a signal of intent by the collective. She is deeply familiar with women’s 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 key figure of Wiegman's coaching team to exit recently, following the chief executive leaving prior to the European Championships and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to take up the role of head coach of Holland, however Van Ginhoven's choice was made earlier.

Stepping away was a surprising shift, yet “I’d taken my decision to leave the FA well in advance”, she says. “The terms lasting four years, exactly like Arjan and Sarina did. When they renewed, I had expressed I didn’t know about renewing myself. I had grown accustomed to the whole idea that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The European Championship became a deeply felt tournament as a result. “I recall distinctly, discussing with Sarina in which I informed her of my choice and then we said: ‘We share a single dream, how amazing would it be to clinch the European title?’ In reality, it's rare that dreams come true often yet, against the odds, this one did.”

Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections post her tenure with the English team, where she was part of securing consecutive European championships and served on the manager's team during the Dutch victory in the 2017 European Championship.

“The English side will forever have a special place in my heart. Therefore, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the squad 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, though tomorrow English white.”

A speedboat allows for rapid direction changes. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.

The American side was not part of the equation as the organisational wizard determined that a new chapter was needed, however the opportunity arose perfectly. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs were crucial.

“Essentially upon meeting we got together we felt immediate synergy,” states Van Ginhoven. “We were instantly aligned. Our conversations have been thorough about different things concerning growing the sport and our shared vision for the right approach.”

The two leaders are among several to uproot themselves from well-known positions in the European game for an uncharted opportunity in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s women’s technical director, Patricia González, has been unveiled as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I was very attracted by the firm conviction in the potential of women's football,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for a long time; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and decisions like this come naturally when you are aware you are going to be surrounded by colleagues who drive you.”

The depth of knowledge among their staff makes them unique, notes Van Ginhoven, for the collective among a number recent multi-team projects that have started lately. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Various methods are valid, however we strongly feel in incorporating football expertise,” she says. “The entire leadership have traveled a path in female football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the mission of Bay Collective is to advocate and innovate a forward-thinking and durable system of women’s football clubs, built on proven methods addressing the different demands of female athletes. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, eliminating the need for persuasion for why you would take certain actions, provides great freedom.

“I liken it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” says she. “You’re basically driving 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 individual understanding and experience to choose wisely. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that’s easily done.”

González adds: “Here, we have a completely white sheet of paper to start with. For me, our mission is about influencing the game on a wider scale and that white paper permits you to undertake whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our joint endeavor.”

Their goals are lofty, the management are expressing sentiments players and fans want to hear and it will be compelling to follow the development of Bay Collective, Bay FC and other teams that may join.

To get a sense of future plans, 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