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 has 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 agreeing 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 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.
Sabrina Wittmann on fear, hope and a new contract
Sabrina Wittmann is the head coach of Ingolstadt
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.”
It is an admission that hints at the weight of responsibility this young woman must have felt when the nation’s media descended on the city to cover this curiosity. “There were so many cameras and media,” she recalls. “That was something new in Ingolstadt.”
Internally, the decision to turn to Wittmann as the club’s new interim head coach that spring had felt like the natural choice. She had already coached the U17 team, the U19 team, and was the director of development at the third-tier club at the time.
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.
It feels like a good time to reflect on what she has learned. “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.
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