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On Wednesday, the Bay Collective group disclosed the recruitment of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their director of global women’s football operations. The new collective club ownership initiative, with the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the first club within its group, has a history in hiring individuals from the English FA.

The appointment earlier this year of Kay Cossington, the influential ex-technical director for the FA, as top executive served as a clear statement by this organization. Cossington knows female football comprehensively and currently has put together a management group with profound insight of women’s football history and packed with professional background.

Van Ginhoven becomes the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to depart this year, following Cossington departing before the Euros and assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, moving on to assume the position of head manager of Holland, but Van Ginhoven's choice arrived more quickly.

Stepping away was a jarring experience, yet “My choice was made to leave the FA quite a long time ago”, she states. “The terms covering four years, just as the assistant and head coach had. When they renewed, I previously indicated I wasn't sure whether I would. I had accepted the whole idea that post-Euros I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The European Championship became an emotional competition as a result. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with Sarina where I basically told her about my decision and after which we agreed: ‘There’s just one dream, what a triumph it would represent that we win the Euros?’ In reality, it's rare that hopes materialize often but, absolutely incredibly, this one did.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties following her stint working in England, where she was part of claiming two Euros in a row and worked within the manager's team when the Netherlands won at Euro 2017.

“England will forever have a dear spot in my heart. So, it’s going to be tough, especially with the knowledge that the players are scheduled to come for national team duty soon,” she notes. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, who do I support? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, though tomorrow English white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a lean group like this one, that’s easily done.

The American side was not part of the equation as the management specialist concluded it was time to move on, however everything aligned at the right time. The chief executive began assembling the team and common principles were key.

“Virtually from the start we connected we had that click moment,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. Our conversations have been thorough on various topics concerning growing the sport and our shared vision for the right approach.”

These executives are not alone to make a move from well-known positions in the European game for an uncharted opportunity across the Atlantic. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, González, has been announced as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.

“I was very attracted to that strong belief regarding the strength of the women’s game,” she says. “I have known 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 will have around you individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise in their team makes them unique, explains Van Ginhoven, for the collective among a number new multi-club initiatives which have emerged over the past few years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, but we definitely believe in incorporating football expertise,” she says. “The entire leadership have been on a journey within the women's game, for most of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the ambition of Bay Collective is to support and lead a progressive and sustainable ecosystem within female football clubs, founded on effective practices to meet the varied requirements of female athletes. Doing that, with collective agreement, eliminating the need for persuasion regarding certain decisions, is hugely liberating.

“I equate it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving in uncharted waters – as we say in the Netherlands, I don’t know if it translates – and it's necessary to trust your individual understanding and experience for making correct choices. You can pivot and accelerate rapidly in a speedboat. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.”

González continues: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to work from. Personally, what we do is about influencing the game on a wider scale and that white paper permits you to undertake whatever you want, following the sport's regulations. This is the appeal of what we are building together.”

The aspirations are significant, the executives are expressing sentiments athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be interesting to follow the development of the collective, the club and any clubs added to the portfolio.

To get a sense of future plans, what factors are essential in a high-performance setting? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve