Union Berlin have made history by becoming the first top flight side in Europe’s top five leagues to appoint a woman head coach as they look to consolidate their Bundesliga status
07:20, 12 Apr 2026Updated 07:37, 12 Apr 2026
Marie-Louise Eta has been named head coach of Union Berlin
German side Union Berlin have made history by appointing Marie-Louise Eta as their head coach – making her the first woman ever to lead a top flight team in Europe’s top five leagues.
Steffen Baumgart was given his marching orders on Saturday with Eta immediately announced as his replacement and tasked with keeping the team in the Bundesliga. Union Berlin were beaten by bottom side Heidenheim, which proved to be the final straw for the hierarchy.
The team sit 11th, but have not yet mathematically secured their top flight status. They are 11 points clear of the relegation zone and it would take a mammoth collapse for them to go down.
Nevertheless they have turned to Eta to lead the team for the remainder of the season. She’s been placed in interim charge with the 34-year-old already being announced as the manager of the women’s team from the summer.
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 that 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. And, of course, I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points with the team.”
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Other teams in Europe have famously handed the reigns to a woman, but never a side in the top flight. Back in 2014 French side Clermont Foot appointed Corinne Diacre as the first female manager in French men’s football history. She followed in the footsteps of Carolina Morace, who had been the only female to ever manage a professional men’s team in Europe following her brief spell in charge of third-division Italian side Viterbese.
Union Berlin have now followed suit, but on a greater scale, and are confident their appointment will bring the desired results. Horst Heldt, the club’s director of football, said: “We have had a hugely disappointing second half of the season so far and will not allow ourselves to be blinded by our league position.
Marie-Louise Eta was already on the club’s staff and will now step up
“Our situation remains precarious and we urgently need points to secure our place in the league. Two wins from fourteen matches since the winter break and the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can still turn things around with the current set-up. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start.
“I am delighted that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before becoming head coach of the women’s professional team in the summer as planned.”
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