On Saturday afternoon in Berlin, footballing history is set to be made.
Marie-Louise Eta will become the first woman to take charge of a German top flight men’s side when she steps into the dugout at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei to lead Union Berlin in their clash against Wolfsburg.
In fact, the 34-year-old will be the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in any of Europe’s big five leagues: England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, France’s Lige 1 and Germany’s Bundesliga.
Not only that, but she is the youngest of the admittedly youth-leaning Bundesliga head coaching cohort.
Only Palma’s Carlos Cuesta (30), Fabian Hürzeler (32) of Brighton — with whom Eta completed her UEFA Pro licence — and Pisa’s Oscar Hiljemark (33) are younger in Europe’s top five leagues.
Her age is not what most critics are talking about though.
Marie-Louise Eta will take charge of Union Berlin for the first time officially this Saturday. (Getty Images: Reinaldo Coddou H.)
Union Berlin are a club at the forefront of providing equality for players of either sex — the club hailed a new co-ed training base last year as what it hopes to start as being the new normal.
“Both professional teams, men and women, will train here and find everything they need to play successful football,” club president Dirk Zingler said.Â
“For football, it represents another step towards normality, as the shared use of training facilities by men and women is already commonplace in many other sports. I would like to see this become the norm in football as well.”
But the appointment of Eta is far from a tokenistic publicity gesture.
On the pitch, Union are sliding inexorably towards the relegation zone in the 18-team Bundesliga, sitting 11th on the ladder but having won just two of 14 games since the winter break.
With just five games remaining, the side sit seven points ahead of 16th-placed side St Pauli.
The bottom two teams are automatically relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of the season, while the team finishing third-bottom has to play a relegation play-off against a team from the Bundesliga 2.
That puts Eta, who played midfield for a variety of clubs in the Frauen-Bundesliga, right at the forefront of Union’s battle for Bundesliga survival — and in the firing line of plenty of misogynistic critics.
‘Crazy’ for club to have to justify appointment
Marie-Louise Eta’s appointment has attracted plenty of interest. (Getty Images: picture alliance/Andreas Gora)
“I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task,” Eta said in a statement that announced her appointment.Â
“Staying in the Bundesliga is not yet guaranteed given the point-differences in the lower half of the table.Â
“One of Union’s strengths has always been our ability to pull together in such situations and, of course, I’m convinced that we’ll get the crucial points with the team.”
The news was met, somewhat predictably, with a mix of unsettling social media commentary and disappointing reactions from more considered sources.
Even Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, made what appeared to be an innocent mistake, spelling Eta’s name wrong while congratulating her and the club for making “strong signal for professional football and for women in top-level sports” — although he did immediately apologise, putting the error down to being “overwhelmed” by the news.
More seriously, the club has already been forced to call out “insane” and “embarrassing” sexist abuse online, with Union sporting director Horst Heldt saying the club should not need to justify the appointment of a female coach.
“We have 100 per cent confidence in Loui [Eta’s nickname],” Heldt said.
“I find it crazy that we have to deal with this in this day and age, that we have to justify ourselves.”
And yet, the club has had to do so repeatedly online, delivering a number of scathing put-downs to disrespectful comments on X, including against one who argued that players wouldn’t take a woman’s instructions about tactics seriously, calling it out as sexism.
The social account also noted that “The Union family has her back” should there be any more sexist backlash of results do not go the club’s way.
Elsewhere, German tabloid Bild described the decision as a “bombshell” and a “surprising” call.
Marie-Louise Eta (left) has plenty of playing pedigree, winning three Bundesliga titles and the Champions League with Turbine Potsdam, as well as earning promotion with Werder Bremen. (Getty Images: Bongarts/Lukas Schulze)
The enlightened thoughts of Bild — which in its online edition had a related story of a topless model prominently placed below news of the appointment — aside, Berlin’s Der Tagesspiegel paper was far more enthusiastic about the appointment.
Deputy sports editor Jörg Leopold wrote that the club “could not have made a better choice” in an editorial earlier this week, adding that the “long overdue” appointment … makes perfect sense for Union Berlin”.
“She is highly regarded at the club, is close to the action, and, as a former assistant coach of the first team and current coach of the U19s, is extremely experienced in dealing with male egos,” Leopold wrote.
He also noted that Eta was not just working for the club but for “greater normalcy” within football that it should not be such a shock to see a woman at the top of the coaching tree.
“Perhaps she will succeed in dispelling some of the prejudices men still hold against women in football,” he added.
Eta a trailblazing presence, but not the first
Marie-Louise Eta has previously worked as an assistant coach with Union Berlin, since 2023. (Getty Images: Maja Hitij)
The appointment of Eta to a head coaching position is a rarity — and not just because she’s taking charge of a men’s team.
Across the footballing landscape, male head coaches continue to dominate even top-flight women’s leagues.
In Europe’s top five women’s leagues; the Women’s Super League (England), Liga F (Spain), Première Ligue (France), Serie A Femminile (Italy) and Frauen-Bundesliga (Germany), as well as the National Women’s Soccer League and A-League Women’s, all have majority men’s coaches.
In fact, Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga is the closest to equality, with six of the 14 teams — 43 per cent — led by women.
That’s reflected at international level, where only 12 of the 32 head coaches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia were women, with England the only nation who made it past the round of 16 and why FIFA have introduced new regulations that stipulate each team must have two female staff on the bench at all future FIFA women’s tournaments, from youth to senior level, to encourage more female coaches.
At the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, just three of the 12 teams were coached by women: Marziyeh Jafari (Iran), Kotryna Kulbyte (Uzbekistan) and Amelia Valverde (India).
Nevertheless, Eta has already been something of a trailblazer within German football.
In 2023 she became the first female assistant coach of a men’s team in the Bundesliga when appointed to Union Berlin’s staff.
Marie-Louise Eta is a well-liked and trusted member of the Union Berlin staff. (Getty Images: picture alliance/Andreas Gora)
She has since coached the club’s under 19s and is currently slated to take over as head of the club’s women’s team from next season — a position she will step into regardless of what happens in the next five weeks.
Eta takes over from Steffen Baumgart, a former fan-favourite at Union Berlin as a player, who was fired after a 3-1 defeat at bottom side Heidenheim.Â
“We’ve had a completely disappointing second half of the season so far and we’re not letting the table fool us — our situation remains precarious and we desperately need points to secure our place in the league,” Heldt said in a statement.
“The performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can turn things around with the current set-up. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start.”
Eta is not the first woman to coach a men’s team in European football.
Legendary Italian striker Carolina Morace briefly took charge of Serie C’s Viterbese in 1999, only to resign after two games.
Corinne Diacre coached in Ligue 2 for three years at Clermont Foot Auvergne. (Getty Images: Jean Catuffe)
Then, in France, Portuguese coach Helena Costa took charge of Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot in 2014 before resigning after a month, replaced by former national team skipper and Les Bleues legend Corinne Diacre, who coached the club for three years in the French second tier.Â
In England, Hannah Dingley was briefly appointed as coach of fourth-tier side Forest Green Rovers during pre-season in 2023, but she did not take charge of a single league match, a 1-1 preseason draw the only encounter she oversaw.
“It was a little bit frustrating [to hear that it had been described as a token appointment],” Dingley, who is now in charge of Manchester City’s girls academy, told the BBC in 2023.
“My argument is how many academy managers or under-23 coaches take on interim roles at football clubs across the country?
Hannah Dingley was briefly appointed caretaker coach of Forest Green Rovers. Her only match was a pre-season friendly draw with Melksham. (Getty Images: PA Images/Simon Marper)
“It happens regularly, and if they don’t get the job they go back to their original role and carry on as normal.
“It’s more insulting, I suppose, that there was an expectation I’d been given the job because I was female.
“I wouldn’t want to be given a job purely because I’m female. I’d always want to be given a job on merit, because I deserve the position.”
Eta is not even alone in Germany, with 34-year-old Sabrina Wittman in charge of third-tier side FC Ingolstadt since 2024.
“It’s OK to be the first woman, I’m really proud of it, but in the end I want to be a good coach, I want to be a good manager,” she told The Guardian.Â
“It’s about how you want to be seen, not just about being the first.”
‘If the quality is there … gender doesn’t matter’
Sarina Wiegman is one of the world’s most accomplished women’s coaches. (Getty Images: FIFA/Mark Metcalfe)
Given the way that women’s football was treated by authorities for much of the 20th century, perhaps it is no wonder that it has taken so long for women to be given an opportunity at the top level of the men’s game.
That being said, there has been plenty of support for Eta.
England’s legendary coach Sarina Wiegman described Eta as a “trailblazer” this week, praising her and Union Berlin for the appointment.
“I think this was a matter of time anyway … it’s exciting, it shows that football is moving up,” she said.
“There’s women in society everywhere and the next step is that it’s also in football, male and female.”
Her domestic Bundesliga rivals were also positive, with relegation rivals St Pauli’s coach, Alexander Blessin, saying Eta deserved her chance.
“If the quality is there, every person deserves it, then gender doesn’t matter,” Blessin said.
“I find it a shame that we’re still discussing it.”
At the other end of the table, Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany — who can seal the league title this weekend against FC Heidenheim — said he was “really happy” to see Eta get the role.
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern München side could seal the Bundesliga title this weekend at the Allianz Arena. (Getty Images: Kevin Voigt)
“I think these are key moments,” he said.Â
“It is easy to minimise them and say ‘she is just a coach like everybody else and that is how we have to treat her as colleagues’.
“But in the end it is something special.Â
“It opens a lot of opportunities to little girls who now play football and think ‘I can coach anywhere, make a real career and be successful’. These stories are really important.”
He added that he hopes that in one way she is not treated like any other male coach and is given time.
“I wish her all the best and the only part I wish she is not treated like a man, is [by the club] being patient with her, because the coaching job lacks patience on the leadership level,” he said.
As for Eta, she just wants the attention to be on the football.
Marie-Louise Eta just wants to focus on the game and her players. (Getty Images: picture alliance/Matthias Koch)
“For me it’s always about football, it’s about working with people, and what I like most — enjoying as much success as possible together,” Eta said.
“I’m trusted here. I appreciate that trust.”
That being said, she understands that this is a potentially significant moment.
“I understand the interest in principle. We already had something similar about two-and-a-half years ago,” Eta said, in relation to her time as assistant coach.Â
“I know the topic of sexism and I’m aware that my appointment has a societal effect — but for me, it’s always been exclusively about the football and the people I get to work with.
“The most important thing right now is what’s happening in the next few days, that we prepare ourselves as well as possible for the Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg.”
Eta said she was happy if her appointment “opens up new paths and doors, perhaps even creates inspiration for young girls so they perhaps can see, hey, everything’s possible”.
But she made clear she wishes it wasn’t an issue.
“I hope that in the coming years all of this will become even less important and that eventually only football will be the deciding factor,” she said.