Berlin’s Eta becomes the first female head coach at a top European club after taking over from the Bundesliga side.
Published April 12, 2026
German soccer club Union Berlin made history by appointing Marie-Louise Eta, the first female head coach in Bundesliga history, as manager following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart.
Eta, who was given the job on Sunday, becomes the first female head coach of a men’s team in a major European league. The 34-year-old, who was the Bundesliga’s first female assistant coach, will remain in charge for the remainder of the season.
“I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this difficult task,” Eta said in a statement.
She made history in 2023 as the first female assistant coach in the top division of the Bundesliga and Europe’s ‘big five’ football leagues. She had to fill in for head coach Nenad Bjelica’s media duties when he was suspended for three games in 2024.
Baumgart was fired on Sunday morning after the team’s poor form in the second half of the season, and Saturday’s 3-1 loss to bottom-place Heidenheim was the final straw.
“We are pleased that Marie-Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before taking over as head coach of the women’s first team in the summer,” Union sporting director Horst Herdt said in a statement.
The Union have won just two games since Christmas and sit seven points above the relegation play-off places.
“The second half of the season was completely disappointing,” said Held.
“Our situation is still unstable and we desperately need points to stay in the league.
“Looking at our performance in recent weeks, I am not confident that we can turn things around with our current structure.”
As a player for Turbine Potsdam, Eta won the Champions League in 2010 and three Bundesliga titles. She has already committed to taking over Union Berlin’s women’s Bundesliga team from the summer.
Women have coached men’s soccer teams in the lower leagues, but never in the top league.
Ingolstadt FC, a club in the German third division, is currently managed by Sabrina Wittmann, while Clermont, a club in the French second division, was managed by Corinne Diacre for three seasons until 2017.
