Marie-Louise Eta has been appointed head coach of German football club Union Berlin, becoming the first woman to hold the role in European football’s top professional men’s league.
Eta will lead the Bundesliga team until the end of the season after former coach Stefan Baumgart was sacked.
Union parted ways with Baumgart late on Saturday after a 1-3 defeat at bottom of the table Heidenheim left the Berlin side with just two wins in 2026 and in danger of slipping towards the relegation zone.
Eta, who is currently the coach of Union’s under-19 men’s team, will now take charge of the senior team on an interim basis for the remaining five matches of the season before becoming head coach of the women’s first team in the summer.
“So far the second half of the season has been absolutely disappointing for us,” said Horst Helt, the union’s sporting director.
“Two wins from 14 games since the winter break, and the performances we have shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can turn things around with the current setup. So we have decided to start fresh, and I am delighted that Marie-Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis.”
Marie-Louise Eta: ‘The existence of the Bundesliga is not secure yet’
34 year old Eta wants to take possession immediately. His first game in charge will be at home to fellow relegation strugglers VfL Wolfsburg next Saturday.
“Given the difficult situation at the bottom of the table, our survival in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” he warned. “One of the strengths of the union has always been its ability to remain united in such circumstances, so I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task.”
While the interim appointment makes Eta the first woman to officially take charge of a men’s Bundesliga side, it is far from the Dresden-born coach’s first involvement with the union’s men’s team.
Between November 2023 and May 2024, Eta assisted Marco Grote when he took interim charge following the dismissal of former head coach Urs Fischer. She remained on the coaching staff under Fischer’s permanent successor, Nenad Bjelica, and in the process became the first female assistant coach in the Champions League.
Who is Union Berlin head coach Marie-Louise Eta?
As a player, Eta – then under her maiden name Bagehorn – won three Women’s Bundesliga titles and the 2010 Women’s Champions League with Turbine Potsdam.
He represented Germany from under-15 to under-23 level, winning the Under-17 European Championship in 2008 and the Under-20 World Cup in 2010, but persistent injuries ended his playing career at the age of 26.
In February 2023, he completed his UEFA Pro Licence, the coaching qualification required to take charge of a professional men’s football team.
Eta is the first woman to take charge of a senior men’s team in England, Spain, Germany, France or Italy, which are widely considered to be the best five leagues in Europe.
While women have previously managed men’s football teams in lower divisions, Eta is the first to take official charge in the top division.
German third-tier club Ingolstadt is currently coached by Sabrina Wittmann, while French second-division club Clermont was managed by Corinne Diacre for three seasons until 2017.
Edited by: Carl Sexton