Marie-Louise Eta has become the first female head coach in the men’s top five European leagues after being announced as Union Berlin’s new boss.
Eta had agreed to take over as coach of Union’s women’s team next season, but now has five games to secure the men’s Bundesliga survival after accepting an interim role.
She made history in 2023 as the first woman to be assistant coach in the Bundesliga and across the top divisions of Europe’s big five leagues — Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
“I’m delighted that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before she becomes head coach of the women’s first team as planned in the summer,” Union sporting director Horst Heldt said in a statement.
Eta said: “Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure. I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations. I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points.”
Eta replaces Steffen Baumgart, who was fired with his assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna after the team’s 3-1 loss at bottom side Heidenheim on Saturday.
Defeat in Heidenheim left Union in 11th place, seven points clear of St. Pauli in the relegation zone with five games remaining.
By Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:
“I knew I opened the door a little for women,” says Sabrina Wittmann, the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in Germany’s top three divisions when she was appointed head coach of Ingolstadt in 2024. “I was honestly afraid of closing the door.”
There were many cameras and media in Ingolstadt, she recalls. Internally, the decision to appoint Wittmann as interim head coach had felt natural. She had already coached the U17 and U19 teams and was director of development at the third-tier club.
An unbeaten end to the league season coupled with victory in the Bavarian Cup persuaded Ingolstadt to appoint Wittmann as permanent head coach that summer. Almost two years on, she is still there, having just signed a new contract extension.
“I am really lucky because I have people here who never rated me as only a woman. That is probably something which is not that common. And I have never had problems with the players,” she says.