Marie-Louise Eta has spoken candidly about becoming the first woman to coach a men's team in one of Europe's top five leagues, insisting she never set out to make history but simply wanted to help Union Berlin succeed.
Eta stepped into the interim head coach role at Union Berlin in April following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart, tasked with keeping the club in the Bundesliga. She delivered, guiding the side through five matches that yielded two wins, one draw and two defeats, with Union eventually finishing 11th in the table.
The appointment was far from her first milestone. Eta had already become the first woman to work as an assistant coach in the men's Bundesliga three years earlier, and in 2024 she took charge of the Union men's side for a single match. Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany praised the move at the time, suggesting it could pave the way for more women pursuing coaching careers.
Now leading Union's women's team, Eta reflected on the whirlwind period in an interview with Moving the Goalposts. "For me, it was never about being the first," she said. "It quickly became clear that it wasn't about making history, but about supporting a team and achieving success together once again."
She acknowledged that the intense media scrutiny surrounding her gender overshadowed the football itself during those early games. "It wasn't just about football at that time, but also very much about the issue of women in the game," Eta explained, describing the experience as particularly intense.
Her tenure began with back-to-back losses against Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig, before Union found their footing with a draw against Cologne and a 3-1 win at Mainz. She capped her run with a commanding 4-0 victory over Augsburg, celebrating with her players and the club's supporters after the final whistle.
Throughout the spell, Eta faced both fierce criticism and genuine support. Social media abuse targeting her gender prompted the club to issue a strong rebuke, calling the comments "embarrassing and insane." Yet she also received messages from women and girls who told her they felt inspired by her path.
"I wanted to impress through my work, my performance and my approach as a manager, not because I'm a woman or because I'm supposed to represent or embody something special," Eta said. "I wanted to be judged by the same standards as my male colleagues."
Looking back, she hopes her experience can serve as motivation for the next generation. "My hope is that my journey will encourage young girls to believe in their own potential and to pursue their goals," she said. "If I can play even a small part in opening further doors, I'll be very pleased. Ultimately, however, it shouldn't be gender that decides, but performance and the quality of the work."
Asked what she took from the experience, Eta emphasized the human side of coaching over pure tactics. "It is important to stay true to yourself and remain clear-headed," she said. "As a coach, it's not just about tactics and football, but above all about bringing people along with you, giving them confidence and solutions, and helping them develop."
Having always been destined to take over the women's team this season, Eta is now focused on building an identity for her squad. "I wanted to build a team that plays football with courage, energy and intensity," she said, adding that she wants her side to "dictate games and be dominant." She stressed that results alone won't define success: "It isn't just about results and league positions. It's just as important to me that the players continue to develop, that we improve as a team, and that we play a style of football we can identify with."
The start to the campaign proved difficult, with a 4-1 opening defeat to Bayern Munich followed by three more winless matches. However, Union have since found form, defeating RB Leipzig and Stuttgart in the league and Magdeburg in the cup. Eta has also tweaked her tactical setup along the way, shifting from an initial 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation as she searches for the right identity for her team.
Despite her trailblazing status, Eta remains focused purely on the football. "For me, it's always been about football and working with people to achieve success together as a team," she said—though for the young girls inspired by her journey, she represents something far greater than she claims to seek.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.