Following the unexpected dismissal of head coach Steffen Baumgart on Saturday evening, Union Berlin has announced that they will once again entrust the interim head coaching duties to the pioneering female coach, Marie-Louise Eta, who is 34 years old. The news of Baumgart’s sacking, which was released shortly before midnight, was accompanied by statements from managing director Horst Heldt and Eta herself regarding her appointment.
Who is Marie-Louise Eta?
As previously reported, Eta has prior experience working with Union Berlin in an interim capacity during the 2023/24 Bundesliga season. She co-coached the team alongside former colleague Marco Grote, helping to manage the transition between the coaching tenures of Urs Fischer and Nenad Bjelica. While she did not coach the men’s team alone during those periods, Eta did represent Union at several press conferences. Since then, she has been coaching the FCU U19 team and is slated to take over the Union Berlin women’s team this summer. The FCU women’s team recently underwent a professional revamp and achieved promotion to the FrauenBundesliga.
How will Eta make history?
This latest appointment officially designates Eta as the interim head coach, not merely an assistant. This marks a significant first for the Bundesliga, as no woman has previously coached on the touchline for a German top-flight men’s club. However, journalists who observed Eta during the 2023/24 season acknowledge that she essentially served as Grote’s equal both on and off the pitch over two years ago.
While Eta’s future role is groundbreaking, her prior involvement with the team means her responsibilities won’t be entirely unprecedented.
Eta’s Statement on Her Appointment
“Staying in the Bundesliga is not yet secured given the point gaps in the lower half of the table,” Eta stated in her club’s official announcement. “One of Union’s strengths has always been to pool all our resources together in such situations. And of course, I am convinced that we will secure the decisive points with the team.”
