Midweek, Bay Collective revealed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, England's general manager working with Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their director of global women’s football operations. The freshly established multi-team ownership group, which includes Bay FC of San Francisco as its inaugural team among its holdings, has prior experience in hiring individuals from the Football Association.
The selection in recent months of Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, as top executive served as a demonstration of ambition from this organization. She knows women’s football comprehensively and now has gathered a leadership team with profound insight of the history of women's football and packed with professional background.
She marks the third key figure of the manager's inner circle to depart this year, following the chief executive leaving prior to the European Championships and the assistant manager, Arjan Veurink, moving on to become head coach of Holland, however her decision was made earlier.
Leaving proved to be a shock to the system, yet “I had decided to leave the FA some time back”, she explains. “I had a contract lasting four years, just as the assistant and head coach had. As they re-signed, I had expressed I was uncertain whether I would. I had accepted the thought that post-Euros my time with England would end.”
The tournament turned into a deeply felt tournament due to that. “It's sharp in my memory, discussing with the head coach in which I informed her about my decision and after which we agreed: ‘We share a single dream, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ Generally, it’s not like dreams come true often yet, absolutely incredibly, it actually happened.”
Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven holds dual affections after her time with the English team, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and served on the manager's team when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.
“The national team will forever have a special place in my heart. Therefore, it’s going to be tough, particularly now knowing that the players will be arriving for national team duty in the near future,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, which side do I back? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”
In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a lean group like this one, that’s easily done.
The club was not initially considered when the management specialist determined that a new chapter was needed, however the pieces fell into place opportunely. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and common principles were key.
“Virtually from the start we got together we felt immediate synergy,” says she. “We were instantly aligned. Our conversations have been thorough on various topics around how you grow the game and our shared vision for the right approach.”
These executives are not the only figures to relocate from high-profile jobs in Europe's football scene for an uncharted opportunity across the Atlantic. The Spanish club's women’s technical director, González, has been introduced as Bay Collective’s new global sporting director.
“I felt strongly drawn by the firm conviction regarding the strength within the female sport,” she explains. “I have known Kay Cossington for many years; back when I was with Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and decisions like this come naturally when you know you will have around you people who really inspire you.”
The depth of knowledge in their team makes them unique, notes she, with Bay Collective among a number recent multi-team projects which have emerged lately. “This is a key differentiator for us. Different approaches are acceptable, however we strongly feel in ensuring deep football understanding,” she says. “All three of us have traveled a path in female football, for most of our lives.”
As outlined on their site, the ambition of this group is to support and lead an advanced and lasting environment within female football clubs, based on what works addressing the different demands of women. Succeeding in this, with unified understanding, with no need to make the case for specific initiatives, is hugely liberating.
“I equate it to moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying in uncharted waters – that’s a Dutch saying, not sure how it comes across – and you just need to rely on your individual understanding and experience for making correct choices. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that’s easily done.”
González adds: “With this opportunity, we start with a blank slate to build upon. In my view, what we do is about influencing the game on a much broader level and that clean start allows you to do whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of our collective project.”
Their goals are lofty, the management are voicing opinions the football community hope to hear and it will be fascinating to observe the evolution of Bay Collective, the team and any clubs added to the portfolio.
As a preview of upcoming developments, what are the key aspects in a high-performance setting? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve
