Union Berlin has appointed Marie-Louise Eta as new head coach, becoming the first female coach in men's Bundesliga history, as well as any of the top five European football leagues (in Germany, England, Spain, Italy, and France). Aged 34, Eta replaces Steffen Baumgart, as Union Berlin sits eleventh in the Bundesliga, seven points above relegation, having won only two games in 2026.
Marie-Louise Eta played for Turbine Potsdam, where she won three Bundesliga titles and one Champions League, and later played for Hamburger SV, Cloppenburg, and Werder Bremen, before retiring from football in 2018 at the age of 26. She was appointed assistant coach to Marco Grote at Union Berlin in 2023, becoming the Bundesliga's first female assistant coach.
She already made history in January 2024 when she became the first female coach to be in charge of the team from the touchline, when then coach Nenad Bjelica was serving a three-game ban. Eta will serve as interim manager until the end of the season
A spokesman for Union Berlin, Jacob Sweetman, said that reactions to the decision of Eta's appointment have been supported by a vast majority of fans, "99% positive" (via BBC). "I have to say, in my best part of 20 years with this club, I am not sure I have ever seen such unanimous support for a new coach coming in. This is only on an interim basis of course but certainly from within the club itself and the fanbase, everybody is very happy with this decision."