Marie-Louise Eta has been named interim head coach of Union Berlin’s men’s team, becoming the first woman to hold a head-coaching role in the men’s top five European leagues.
Eta had been due to take over Union’s women’s first team next season, but accepted the short-term assignment with five Bundesliga matches remaining as the club fights to avoid relegation. Her appointment follows a historic 2023 breakthrough when she became the first woman to serve as an assistant coach in the Bundesliga and across Europe’s big five leagues.
Union sporting director Horst Heldt described the decision as positive, noting Eta will assume the interim role before moving to the women’s team as planned in the summer. Eta acknowledged the challenge: with the point gap in the lower half of the table, Union’s Bundesliga status is still at risk, and she said she was grateful the club had trusted her with the task and confident the squad could rally to secure the necessary points.
She replaces Steffen Baumgart, who was dismissed along with his assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna after Union’s 3-1 defeat at bottom side Heidenheim. The loss left Union 11th in the table, seven points clear of St. Pauli in the relegation zone, with five fixtures left to play.
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate highlighted how Eta’s interim role follows other recent steps for women in men’s German football, notably Sabrina Wittmann’s appointment at Ingolstadt in 2024. Wittmann was the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in Germany’s top three divisions. Her promotion to interim coach attracted significant media attention but was seen internally as a natural move — she had previously coached the club’s U17 and U19 teams and served as director of development.
An unbeaten finish to the league season and a Bavarian Cup win convinced Ingolstadt to make Wittmann permanent head coach that summer. Nearly two years on, she remains in charge after signing a contract extension. Wittmann has said she felt she opened a door for other women in the game, was wary of closing it, and considers herself fortunate to work in an environment that judges her on ability rather than gender; she adds she has experienced no problems with the players.