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On Wednesday, this new ownership entity revealed the hiring of Van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. The new multi-club ownership body, with the San Francisco-based Bay FC as the initial addition within its group, has previously engaged in bringing in talent from the English FA.

The appointment this year of Kay Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, as top executive acted as a signal of intent by this organization. Cossington understands female football inside out and now she has assembled a management group that possesses extensive knowledge of the evolution of the women's game and packed with professional background.

She is the third key figure of Wiegman’s setup to leave in the current year, following Cossington exiting prior to the Euros and the assistant manager, Veurink, moving on to take up the role of head manager of the Dutch national team, but her move was made earlier.

Stepping away was a jarring experience, yet “I had decided to exit the national setup some time back”, Van Ginhoven states. “I had a contract lasting four years, just as Arjan and Sarina had. Upon their extension, I had expressed I wasn't sure whether I would. I was already used to the thought that following the tournament I wouldn’t be part of England any more.”

The tournament was an emotional competition because of this. “I recall distinctly, speaking with Wiegman when I disclosed of my choice and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how amazing would it be that we win the Euros?’ In life, dreams don't aspirations are realized frequently but, remarkably, this one did.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, Van Ginhoven has divided loyalties after her time in England, during which she contributed to winning back-to-back European titles and served on Wiegman’s staff when the Netherlands won the 2017 Euros.

“The English side will forever have a dear spot in my heart. Therefore, it will be challenging, notably since that the team are due to arrive for the international camp shortly,” she says. “When England plays the Netherlands, which side do I back? Today I have on orange, but tomorrow it’s white.”

You can change direction and move quickly in a speedboat. With a compact team such as ours, it's effortless to accomplish.

The American side was not part of the equation as the management specialist concluded that a new chapter was needed, however the opportunity arose opportunely. The chief executive initiated the recruitment and mutual beliefs were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we connected we had that click moment,” states she. “We were instantly aligned. We've discussed extensively on various topics concerning growing the sport and what we think is the right way.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are not the only figures to relocate from prominent roles in Europe's football scene for an uncharted opportunity in the United States. Atlético Madrid’s female football technical lead, Patricia González, has been introduced as the group's worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief of the power of women's football,” González explains. “I'm familiar with Cossington for an extended period; during my tenure at Fifa, she held the technical director role for England, and such choices are straightforward knowing you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The profound understanding among their staff sets them apart, says Van Ginhoven, for the collective one of several recent multi-team projects to launch in recent years. “It's a standout feature of our approach. Different approaches are acceptable, but we definitely believe in having that football knowledge on board,” she says. “All three of us have progressed in women’s football, probably for the best part of our lives.”

According to their online statement, the goal for the collective is to champion and pioneer a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, based on what works addressing the different demands of female athletes. Succeeding in this, with collective agreement, with no need to make the case for why you would take certain actions, is incredibly freeing.

“I liken it to moving from a large ship to a fast boat,” states she. “You are essentially navigating across unmapped territories – a common Dutch expression, I'm unsure if it translates well – and you just need to rely on your personal insight and skills to choose wisely. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that’s easily done.”

She notes: “Here, we start with a blank slate to start with. For me, what we do focuses on impacting football on a wider scale and that clean start enables you to pursue any direction you choose, following the sport's regulations. That is the advantage of what we are building together.”

The ambition is high, the executives are saying the things athletes and supporters are eager to hear and it will be fascinating to observe the evolution of this organization, Bay FC and future additions to the group.

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