The story of Marie-Louise Eta the Bundesliga's first female head coach
The story of Marie-Louise Eta the Bundesliga's first female head coach Bundesliga side Union Berlin announced a landmark decision last weekend. Head coach Steffen Baumgart was dismissed to make way for Marie-Louse Eta, the first woman to take charge of a Bundesliga team. At just 34, Eta was already the assistant coach of the first team and will lead Union on an interim basis until the end of the 2025/26 season.
Currently 11th in the Bundesliga , Union Berlin are seven points clear of St. Pauli, the side who would at this stage be in the competition's relegation play-off place. "I'm very happy that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task," Eta said on her appointment.
"One of Union's strengths has always been, and still is, the ability to pull together in situations like this. And of course, I'm convinced that we will pick up the crucial points with the team. " A different vision Union Berlin spent a long time on the fringes of German football.
Originally founded in 1906 as FC Olympia Oberschöneweide, the club almost went bankrupt in 1997, but was saved by the strength of its supporters and the backing of several sponsors. The team reached the top flight of German football in 2019 and, in only its fourth Bundesliga season, secured an unexpected place in the Champions League. One of the key figures behind the club's rise is president Dirk Zingler , who has led Union since 2004.
Under his leadership, the club promoted a woman to the role of number two in the technical staff of then-head coach Marco Grote in 2023. That woman was none other than Marie-Louise Eta . "I don't think the fact that she was the first woman on the bench in a Bundesliga or Champions League match crossed anyone's mind.