Marie-Louise Eta has been appointed head coach of Union Berlin, becoming the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in any of Europe’s five top domestic leagues. The 34-year-old will lead the Bundesliga side on an interim basis for the remainder of the season after Steffen Baumgart was dismissed following a 1-3 defeat at bottom-placed Heidenheim.
Union’s decision follows a poor run of form: the club has recorded only two wins in 2026 and has slid toward the relegation zone. Eta will be in charge for the final five league matches before moving, as planned, into the role of women’s first-team head coach at the club in the summer.
Union sporting director Horst Heldt described the move as a reset after a disappointing second half of the campaign, saying the club lacked confidence that the previous setup could reverse recent results. He welcomed Eta’s willingness to assume the interim responsibility.
Eta is already part of Union’s coaching structure, currently overseeing the club’s under-19 men’s team. She takes over immediately, with her first match as head coach scheduled at home to fellow strugglers VfL Wolfsburg next Saturday. Eta noted the precarious position near the foot of the table and stressed the team’s traditional ability to rally in difficult moments, expressing gratitude that the club entrusted her with the task.
She is not new to coaching at senior men’s level inside the club. Between November 2023 and May 2024 Eta assisted Marco Grote during his interim spell after Urs Fischer’s dismissal, and she remained on the first-team staff under Nenad Bjelica. During that time she became the first female assistant coach to work in the Champions League.
As a player, Eta — then Marie-Louise Bagehorn — enjoyed significant success with Turbine Potsdam, winning three Frauen-Bundesliga titles and the 2010 UEFA Women’s Champions League. She represented Germany from under-15 through under-23 levels, was part of the under-17 European Championship-winning side in 2008 and the under-20 World Cup-winning team in 2010, and retired from playing at 26 after a run of injuries.
In February 2023 she completed the UEFA Pro License, the qualification required to manage at professional men’s level. While women have previously coached men’s teams in lower divisions — for example Sabrina Wittmann at third-tier Ingolstadt and Corinne Diacre’s three-season spell at second-division Clermont until 2017 — Eta’s interim appointment is the first official managerial role for a woman in a top-flight club among England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
Edited by: Karl Sexton.