Union Berlin's Marie-Louise Eta makes history as first female coach in Europe's top men's soccer leagues

A strong candidate from the start

Eta's appointment is history-making, but in many ways, it shouldn't be. Her history with Union Berlin made her the best possible candidate to save the club from the threat of relegation.

Eta arrived at Union in 2023 as an assistant to then-interim coach Marco Grote. She maintained her position at the club after Grote was replaced by Croatian manager Nenad Bjelica, and stood in for Bjelica on the touchline in 2024 when he was suspended for three matches. Eta's Union side managed one win, one draw and one loss during those games and maintained its Bundesliga form despite Bjelica's absence.

Eta's strong work at Union, both with the first team and as a head coach of its under-19 program, earned her the head coaching position at Union's women's side for the 2026-27 season. That's why her appointment with the men's side is an interim role: she's already committed her future to the women's team.

"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," Union sporting director Horst Heldt said, via the club's website.

"We've had an completely disappointing second half of the season so far and we're not letting the table fool us -- our situation remains precarious and we desperately need points to secure our place in the league."

A difficult ask

Eta's Union side is 11th in the Bundesliga with 32 points from 29 competitive fixtures. The league features 18 teams, with the 18th and 17th-placed teams facing immediate relegation to the Bundesliga 2 at the end of the season. The 16th-placed team, in a departure from other European leagues, plays a two-legged playoff against the third-placed side in the Bundesliga 2. The winner of that playoff secures a spot in the Bundesliga for the following season; the loser secures a spot in the second division.

Eta's team is just seven points clear of that spot with five games remaining in the season. If it continues its dismal recent run of form, it will plummet into 16th with time to spare; if Eta can stop the skid, though, it will avoid the ignominy of the relegation playoff altogether.

"One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations," Eta said of the challenge in front of her. "And, of course, I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points with the team."

Eta's first game in charge will be against 17th-placed (and near-certainty for relegation) Wolfsburg on Saturday, Apr. 18. She'll then face RB Leipzig (4th in the league), Koln (13th), Mainz (9th) and Augsburg (10th) in quick succession to determine her side's Bundesliga fate.