Union Berlin has appointed Marie-Louise Etta as interim head coach until the end of the season, a first in the history of Europe’s top five leagues.
The Berlin club sacked Steffen Baumgart following a 4-1 defeat to bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim on Saturday.
The 34-year-old Etta is no stranger to breaking barriers; she became the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history, also with Union Berlin, in November 2023.
She also stepped in for then-head coach Nenad Bjelica, who was serving a three-match suspension, during a 1-0 win over Darmstadt in January 2024, becoming the first woman to manage a Bundesliga team from the sidelines.
Eta is a former international player who won the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Turbin Potsdam. She has also been coaching Union Berlin’s under-19 team since July 2025.
Her mission will be to save Union Berlin from relegation. The East Berlin side is 11 points clear of the immediate relegation zone with five games remaining, but has only managed two wins in 14 league matches in 2026.
Eta’s appointment comes more than 25 years after Carolina Morac became the first woman to manage a professional men’s team in Europe when she joined Italian Serie C side Viterbese in 1999.
In July 2023, Hannah Dingley became the first woman to manage a professional men’s team in English football when she was appointed interim manager of Forest Green Rovers, although she did not take charge of any competitive matches.
