SAN FRANCISCO — Aboard a historic ferryboat that swayed side-to-side in the San Francisco Bay, the setting for Bay FC’s big announcement did more than induce motion sickness. The choppy waters below, and the sun shining overhead, provided easy imagery for what the young franchise hopes will be a turning point.
It was a decidedly unfamiliar environment for the two women on stage, who got to know each other long ago under the gray skies of the English countryside and, now, will determine the direction of the NWSL club that just concluded a turbulent second season. Kay Cossington, who came across the pond six months ago to helm Bay FC’s parent company, concluded a monthslong search to find its second coach on Wednesday by introducing her longtime associate from Britain, Emma Coates.
Cossington, who came prepared with an anti-nausea patch, outlined a “new phase for Bay” following a year that included a league investigation to the club’s culture, a stagnant offense and a second-to-last-place finish that resulted in the resignation of Albertin Montoya, who helmed the club for its first two seasons.
And, why Coates, a 34-year-old “from a little village in North Yorkshire,” was the right woman for the job.
“We want to have a really distinct, Bay FC style (of play), that’s going to drive a winning mentality and get the most out of our players,” said Cossington, who previously worked in the league office of the English Football Association, where Coates has coached its amateur national teams since 2017.
“When we went on the journey to look at what a head coach needed to have, what the key credentials were, it was about somebody that had the experience and truly been there, developing players, developing systems and stars and has won things.”
Coates began her coaching career at 25 and most recently managed the U-23 Lionesses, one step below the English national team, where she worked closely with Serina Wiegman, the leader of the Lionesses’ top squad. She graduated 27 players to the senior team without interrupting the junior squad’s success on the field, leading an undefeated European league campaign in 2023-24.
“The bit that I really want to implement is: How do we play with variety? How do we create a style of play that suits the identity of the club, but the players that we have, it brings out the best in them,” Coates said. “That’s something that, working really closely with Serina over the past couple of seasons, that I learned from her.”
Coates said her relationship with Cossington goes back “a long, long time.” As soon as she heard Cossington’s plans to leave FA and start Bay Collective, which could eventually expand beyond Bay FC, Coates began to think about ways to follow her. Cossington described a “global” search process but said the list of candidates quickly narrowed, “and I’m delighted to say the lady sitting next to me right now ticks all those boxes.”
The mention of Coates’ gender generated hoots and hollers from the supporters groups on board. Despite the NWSL serving as the top women’s domestic league, she will be only the third woman out of 11 currently filled head coaching positions. At 34 years of age, she will also be the league’s second-youngest active coach, replacing Montoya, 50.
“I think it’s so important that we’re given the opportunity and that there’s space for females to lead,” said Coates, who also brings her top assistant, Gemma Davies. “Hopefully that will generate more female coaches at the top level.”
While Cossington said she valued female role models, “for some of our female coaches in the industry, they don’t just need to be good — they need to be great. And I think we’ve got somebody great here right now, and we want to give greatness an opportunity.”
Coates takes the reins at a crossroads for the franchise. It made a surprising playoff run in its inaugural season but went backward this past season, earning only 20 points in 26 matches. The season began with an investigation into a reportedly “toxic” culture under Montoya, a prominent local youth coach with limited professional experience. He was eventually cleared of wrongdoing but submitted his resignation with eight games left.
The shakeup extends beyond the coaching staff. Cossington came on board in June and hired two more foreign executives to the Bay Collective front office in October, adding Anja van Ginhoven, also from FA, and Patricia González from Atlético Madrid, to foster the club’s global interests.
Bay FC is also still searching for a replacement for Brady Stewart, its founding CEO who departed in September.
Culture was “definitely something we brought into the recruitment process,” Cossington said, reciting the popular quote: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Coates outlined a “football-first, performance-driven culture, where we put the players in the middle.”
On the field, Bay FC is one of the few remaining teams yet to release its end-of-season roster. When it comes time to address personnel, Cossington said, “we think about this in a two-, three-year plan.” Coates said she hopes to play “possession-based football” and “to play forward regularly” as a means to address a Bay FC attack that ranked last in the NWSL. But, Cossington noted, “Error number one would by trying to play a system where you don’t have the players that are capable of delivering that.”
With its new training facility under construction across the water, on Treasure Island, Bay FC believes it has big things in store. The franchise’s new leaders were asked when they realistically believed their championship aspirations could come to fruition.
“That’s a great question,” Cossington said, “because we’re super impatient.”
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