German football club Union Berlin has made history by naming Marie-Louise Eta as manager, making her the first female head coach in Bundesliga history, following the sacking of Steffen Baumgart.
Eta, who was given the job on Sunday, becomes the first female top-flight coach of a men’s team in a major European league.
The 34-year-old, who was the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga, will take over for the remainder of the season.
Marie made history in 2023 as the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga and across the top divisions of Europe’s “big five” football leagues.
She had to step in for media duties for head coach Nenad Bjelica when he was suspended for three games in 2024.
“I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task,” Eta said in a statement.
The union has won just two games since Christmas and sits seven points above the relegation playoff spot.
“We’ve had an absolutely disappointing second half of the season."
Union sporting director Horst Heldt also expressed in a statement, "I’m delighted that Marie-Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before she becomes head coach of the women’s first team as planned in the summer."
Notably, women have managed men’s football teams in the lower divisions in the past but never in the top flight.
As a player, Eta won the Champions League in 2010, along with three Bundesliga titles.
Additionally, she has already committed to taking over Union Berlin’s women’s Bundesliga team from the summer giving new hopes to team.
