🔗 Share this article

This past Wednesday, this new ownership entity disclosed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, taking on the role of global women's football operations director. The new multi-team ownership group, featuring the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the inaugural team within its group, has previously engaged in recruiting from the national football governing body.

The appointment this year of Cossington, the well-respected previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role was a demonstration of ambition from Bay Collective. She knows women’s football inside out and currently she has assembled a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the history of women's football and packed with experience.

She becomes the third core member of Wiegman’s setup to exit this year, with Cossington leaving before the European Championships and the assistant manager, Arjan Veurink, leaving to take up the role of manager of the Dutch national team, however Van Ginhoven's choice came sooner.

Stepping away proved to be a jarring experience, but “I had decided to exit the national setup well in advance”, Van Ginhoven says. “I had a contract covering four years, similar to the assistant and head coach had. As they re-signed, I had expressed I was uncertain whether I would. I had grown accustomed to the whole idea that post-Euros I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The Euros turned into an emotional event because of this. “It's sharp in my memory, speaking with Sarina when I disclosed regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, what a triumph it would represent if we were to win the European Championship?’ In reality, it’s not like aspirations are realized every day however, absolutely incredibly, it actually happened.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances post her tenure in England, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and served on Wiegman’s staff for the Netherlands’ triumph in the 2017 European Championship.

“England will forever have an emotional connection for me. So, it’s going to be tough, notably since that the squad will be arriving for the international camp in the near future,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, where do my loyalties lie? 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.

Bay FC was not part of the equation as the strategic expert was deciding it was time to move on, but everything aligned perfectly. Cossington began assembling the team and mutual beliefs were key.

“Essentially upon meeting we met we experienced an instant connection,” states she. “There was immediate understanding. We've discussed extensively on various topics concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are among several to make a move from high-profile jobs in the European game for a blank sheet of paper in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, González, has been announced as the group's worldwide sports director.

“I was highly interested to that strong belief of the power of the women’s game,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; when I used to work at Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and decisions like this come naturally knowing you will have around you people who really inspire you.”

The extensive expertise within their group distinguishes them, explains she, for the collective among a number recent multi-team projects that have started in recent years. “This is a key differentiator for us. Different approaches are acceptable, but we definitely believe in ensuring deep football understanding,” she states. “Each of us have been on a journey in women’s football, for most of our lives.”

As outlined on their site, the mission for the collective is to support and lead a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, based on what works to meet the varied requirements of women in sport. Achieving this, with unified understanding, eliminating the need for persuasion for why you would take certain actions, is hugely liberating.

“I equate it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re basically driving across unmapped territories – a common Dutch expression, not sure how it comes across – and you just need to rely on your own knowledge and expertise for making correct choices. You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. Within a compact team such as ours, it's straightforward to accomplish.”

She notes: “In this role, we start with a blank slate to start with. In my view, what we do is about influencing the game more extensively and that clean start allows you to do whatever you want, adhering to football's guidelines. That’s the beauty of what we are building together.”

The ambition is high, the executives are saying the things athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be interesting to monitor the progress of this organization, the club and future additions to the group.

For a flavour of what is to come, what factors are essential for a top-level environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve