Marie-Louise Eta is set to lead Union Berlin for the remaining five games as interim head coach.
As media from across the globe gathered in a compact conference room in southeast Berlin on Thursday, Marie-Louise Eta appeared slightly amused.
“It’s good to see so many people here, and I completely understand that this is a significant topic. However, for me, it has always been about football and working with people,” the newly appointed Union Berlin head coach stated.
However, Eta is aware that she is about to make football history when her team faces Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart last weekend, Eta, 34, has been appointed interim coach until the end of the season, making her the first woman to manage a men’s team in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
This milestone has garnered global attention, even before her first match in charge.
On Thursday, Eta aimed to reframe the narrative, highlighting that she is “far from the first woman working in professional men’s football” while acknowledging the “signalling effect” her appointment has.
This is not her first experience in such a role.
In the 2023-24 season, she became the first female assistant coach in the men’s Bundesliga, contributing to Union Berlin’s successful fight against relegation.
Now in the leading role, the attention is magnified. On Tuesday morning, numerous journalists braved the rain to observe Eta’s inaugural training session.
Eta seemed to establish an instant connection with the players, many of whom she had previously worked with.
“It’s beneficial that I already know many of the players and staff. My initial impression is that the team is very receptive,” she remarked.
“I’m often asked if there’s a difference between coaching men and women, and I always say no.
“It’s about football and it’s about people. You need to build a relationship with the person in front of you, because ultimately, it’s about trust.”
Eta previously played for Turbine Potsdam, Hamburger, Cloppenburg and Werder Bremen (above).
As a player, Eta admired David Beckham and had a distinguished career as a midfielder in the women’s Bundesliga.
She represented Germany at the youth level and won the Champions League with Turbine Potsdam in 2010 before retiring early due to injury in 2018.
When she obtained her professional coaching license in 2023, she was the only woman in a class that included current Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler and Rangers boss Danny Rohl.
She joined Union as a youth-team coach later that year and quickly became a respected figure at the club.
In addition to her brief stint with the men’s team in 2024, she also found success with the under-19s and was part of the coaching staff that guided Union’s women’s team to Bundesliga promotion last season.
Consequently, while it may have raised eyebrows elsewhere, Eta’s appointment was not surprising in Berlin, where she is regarded as a reliable figure with significant experience at all levels of the game.
Shortly after her appointment, the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel stated that Union “could not have made a better choice”, external for interim coach.
Known simply as Loui, Eta was the obvious choice, and her appointment has been well-received by Union’s passionate fanbase.
“I was really happy, and it didn’t surprise me at all,” Cornelia Wolter, a season-ticket holder and member of fan club Grenzenlos Eisern, told BBC Sport.
“She knows the club and the players very well and is very popular among fans.”
“Loui is our new Iron Lady,” another fan group, Ecke Nord, wrote, external on social media, referencing Union’s nickname, ‘the Irons’.
However, not all reactions have been positive. This week, the club had to defend Eta against a wave of sexist abuse on social media.
“I never read the comments on social media,” she stated. “They say a lot more about the people who are posting them than they do about anyone else.”
When asked if she believed the abuse indicated a regression in German society regarding gender equality, Eta expressed her hope to be a source of inspiration.
“It’s obviously positive if it opens doors and perhaps shows young women what is possible for them to achieve in any aspect of life,” she said.
Eta’s appointment comes as Union aims to be a trailblazer in gender equality.
The club only professionalised their women’s team in 2023 but is now developing one of the most ambitious projects in German women’s football.
The men’s and women’s teams share the Alte Forsterei stadium, and the women’s team attracts some of the highest average attendances in Europe’s top leagues.
The two teams will be further integrated in the future, with Union constructing a new training complex to accommodate both squads.
“Two teams, one professional football department – that’s our approach,” club president Dirk Zingler stated, external last year.
Eta embodies this approach and could find herself at the center of a competition between the men’s and women’s teams.
Just two weeks ago, she signed a contract to become the women’s head coach from the start of next season.
However, the club has not dismissed the possibility of her permanently taking over the men’s team in the summer.
“Union is a great club, and it doesn’t matter to me if I’m coaching the under-19s, the women, or the men – I’m just happy to be here,” Eta said.
“For now, I’m focused on being as successful as possible with the men’s team in the coming weeks.”
Union Berlin Women – the German club attracting thousands