Midweek, the Bay Collective group revealed the hiring of Anja van Ginhoven, England's managerial lead under head coach Sarina Wiegman, to serve as their global women's football operations director. This new collective club ownership initiative, featuring Bay FC of San Francisco as the inaugural team among its holdings, has previously engaged in bringing in talent from the English FA.
The appointment earlier this year of Cossington, the well-respected previous technical director at the Football Association, as the chief executive was a demonstration of ambition by this organization. Cossington knows women’s football thoroughly and now has gathered an executive team that possesses extensive knowledge of women’s football history and laden with professional background.
She is the third core member of Wiegman's coaching team to depart in the current year, with the chief executive exiting before the Euros and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, stepping down to take up the role of head coach of the Dutch national team, however her move came sooner.
Moving on was a jarring experience, but “I had decided to exit the national setup quite a long time ago”, she explains. “The terms covering four years, similar to Arjan and Sarina had. Upon their extension, I previously indicated I wasn't sure about renewing myself. I was already used to the thought that post-Euros my time with England would end.”
The Euros turned into an emotional tournament as a result. “It's sharp in my memory, having a conversation with Wiegman where I basically told her regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘Our ultimate aspiration, how amazing would it be if we were to win the European Championship?’ In life, it's rare that hopes materialize every day but, remarkably, this one did.”
Dressed in orange, Van Ginhoven experiences split allegiances after her time in England, where she helped achieve claiming two Euros in a row and was a part of the manager's team for the Netherlands’ triumph at Euro 2017.
“The English side will forever have a special place in my heart. Therefore, it will be challenging, especially with the knowledge that the squad are due to arrive for national team duty in the near future,” she says. “Whenever the two nations face off, which side do I back? Right now I'm in Dutch colors, though tomorrow English white.”
In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a small team like this, that’s easily done.
Bay FC was not in the plans as the strategic expert concluded that a new chapter was needed, however everything aligned at the right time. The chief executive started to bring people in and their shared values were key.
“Virtually from the start we met we had that click moment,” states she. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length on various topics related to developing women's football and what we think is the right way.”
These executives are not alone to uproot themselves from well-known positions in the European game for a fresh start in the US. The Spanish club's female football technical lead, González, has been introduced as the group's global sporting director.
“I was highly interested in the deep faith regarding the strength of the women’s game,” González comments. “I have known Kay Cossington for an extended period; during my tenure at Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and such choices are straightforward when you are aware you will have around you colleagues who drive you.”
The depth of knowledge in their team distinguishes them, says Van Ginhoven, for the collective one of several fresh club ownership ventures that have started over the past few years. “This is a key differentiator for us. It’s OK that people do things in different ways, but we definitely believe in incorporating football expertise,” she states. “All three of us have progressed in women’s football, probably for the best part of our lives.”
As their website states, the mission of this group is to advocate and innovate a progressive and sustainable ecosystem for women's football clubs, founded on effective practices to meet the varied requirements of women. Achieving this, with collective agreement, without having to justify actions for why you would take certain actions, is hugely liberating.
“I liken it to transitioning from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying across unmapped territories – that’s a Dutch saying, not sure how it comes across – and it's necessary to trust your personal insight and skills for making correct choices. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible with a speedboat. In a lean group like this, that is simple to achieve.”
González adds: “With this opportunity, we have a completely white sheet of paper to build upon. In my view, our mission involves shaping the sport on a much broader level and that blank slate allows you to do any direction you choose, adhering to football's guidelines. This is the appeal of what we are building together.”
Their goals are lofty, the executives are voicing opinions the football community are eager to hear and it will be fascinating to follow the development of Bay Collective, the team and future additions to the group.
To get a sense of future plans, what are the key aspects of a high-performance environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve
