🔗 Share this article

On Wednesday, this new ownership entity disclosed the appointment of Anja van Ginhoven, the English national team's managerial lead working with Sarina Wiegman, as their overseer of worldwide women's football activities. The new collective club ownership initiative, with Bay FC of San Francisco as its inaugural team within its group, has a history in hiring individuals from the national football governing body.

The appointment this year of Cossington, the influential previous technical director at the Football Association, to the CEO role served as a demonstration of ambition by the collective. Cossington is deeply familiar with the women's game thoroughly and currently has put together an executive team with a deep understanding of the history of women's football and filled with practical experience.

Van Ginhoven marks the third key figure of Wiegman’s setup to leave in the current year, with Cossington exiting before the European Championships and deputy manager, Arjan Veurink, moving on to become manager of the Netherlands, but her move was made earlier.

Stepping away was a jarring experience, yet “I’d taken my decision to leave the FA well in advance”, she explains. “The terms lasting four years, exactly like Veurink and Wiegman had. As they re-signed, I had expressed I didn’t know about renewing myself. I was already used to the thought that post-Euros my time with England would end.”

The European Championship was a deeply felt tournament as a result. “I remember very clearly, vividly, having a conversation with Sarina where I basically told her regarding my plans and after which we agreed: ‘There’s just one dream, how amazing would it be to clinch the European title?’ In life, it's rare that aspirations are realized often yet, against the odds, ours came true.”

Sitting in an orange T-shirt, she has divided loyalties after her time in England, where she helped achieve winning back-to-back European titles and worked within the manager's team during the Dutch victory at Euro 2017.

“England retains a special place in my heart. So, it will be challenging, notably since that the team are due to arrive for the international camp shortly,” she comments. “In matches between England and the Netherlands, which side do I back? I’m wearing orange at the moment, but tomorrow I'll be in white.”

In a speedboat, you can pivot and accelerate swiftly. In a lean group like this one, it's effortless to accomplish.

The club was not in the plans as the management specialist concluded that it was time for a change, however the opportunity arose at the right time. The chief executive started to bring people in and common principles were crucial.

“Virtually from the start we got together we had that click moment,” states Van Ginhoven. “You’re immediately on the same level. We have spoken at length regarding multiple aspects around how you grow the game and the methods we believe are correct.”

Cossington and Van Ginhoven are among several to relocate from high-profile jobs within European football for a blank sheet of paper across the Atlantic. Atlético Madrid’s technical director for women's football, Patricia González, has been announced as the organization's worldwide sports director.

“I felt strongly drawn to that strong belief in the potential within the female sport,” she says. “I'm familiar with Cossington for an extended period; back when I was with Fifa, she served as England's technical director, and it’s easy to make these decisions knowing you are going to be surrounded by individuals who motivate you.”

The extensive expertise in their team sets them apart, notes Van Ginhoven, for the collective part of a group new multi-club initiatives to launch 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 ensuring deep football understanding,” she says. “All three of us have progressed within the women's game, for most of our lives.”

As their website states, the ambition of this group is to advocate and innovate a forward-thinking and durable system within female football clubs, founded on effective practices addressing the different demands of women in sport. Achieving this, with everyone on the same page, eliminating the need for persuasion regarding certain decisions, provides great freedom.

“I equate it to going from a tanker to a speedboat,” says Van Ginhoven. “You're journeying across unmapped territories – as we say in the Netherlands, not sure how it comes across – and you must depend on your own knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. Adjusting course and speeding up is possible in a speedboat. In a small team like this, that is simple to achieve.”

González adds: “Here, we start with a blank slate to work from. For me, what we do focuses on impacting football on a wider scale and that blank slate enables you to pursue any direction you choose, within the rules of the game. That’s the beauty of our collective project.”

The aspirations are significant, the executives are voicing opinions athletes and supporters want to hear and it will be compelling to follow the development of this organization, the team and future additions to the group.

As a preview of upcoming developments, what are the key aspects for a top-level environment? “{It all starts and ends with|Everything begins and concludes with|The foundation and culmination involve