History was made on April 12 as FC Union Berlin appointed Marie-Louise Eta to serve as their head coach, making her the first woman to serve in the role full-time in the men’s top five leagues. She will serve as an interim manager for the remaining handful of games Berlin are to play this season, beginning with a match against Wolfsburg on April 18.
Eta has been working with youth teams since retiring from playing professional football in 2018, beginning her career with Wermer Breden before joining Union Berlin in 2023 under caretaker manager Marco Grote. Since her tenure in Berlin began, she has set milestones for being both the first female assistant coach in a men’s Champions League game and the first woman to serve as a head coach for a Bundesliga game when she temporarily filled the head coach role in 2024.
Now, Union’s Sporting Director Horst Heldt has named her the right person to spearhead the fresh start the club is after. Marie-Louise Eta expressed great excitement over the appointment in a statement: “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.”
Her appointment comes in the midst of a dramatic overhaul to the backroom staff following a 3-1 loss to relegation favourites FC Heidenheim. The preceding head coach Steffen Baumgart and two of his assistants were relieved of their duties.
While Berlin is currently sitting near the middle of the league table, safety is far from guaranteed — the team sits 11 points above the relegation zone and have only managed two wins in 2026. It seems like the board is banking on an Eta-revolution to carry them out of the current turbulence.
With games against RB Leipzig, who are eyeing up Champions League qualification, and relegation-threatened Wolfsburg in the near future, the end of the season will be a dog fight for Berlin. Marie-Louise Eta has already shattered many glass ceilings in her relatively short coaching career, and she can count on many to stand ready to cheer for both her success and her demise. In addition to her role as a symbol of change, she is a cunning manager ready to devote all her time to Union Berlin’s success. Her fortunes do not make or break the future of women in men’s football – that development is inevitable.
“Marie Louise Eta” by @el_loko74 is licensed under CC BY 4.0.