Union Berlin names first female head coach in history of Bundesliga

BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 28: Marie-Louise Eta, Interim Head Coach of 1.FC Union Berlin, looks on during the warm up prior to the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and SV Darmstadt 98 at An der Alten Foersterei on January 28, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After getting thrashed 3-1 by last place Heidenheim, Union Berlin sacked manager Steffen Baumgart and made a historic move in hiring Marie-Louise Eta as its interim head coach.

Eta becomes the first female head coach of a team in the Bundesliga. Below is the release from Union Berlin’s website:

Head coach Steffen Baumgart and assistant coaches Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna were relieved of their duties today, Saturday.

“We have had a hugely disappointing second half of the season so far and will not allow ourselves to be blinded by our league position,” said Union’s director of men’s professional football, Horst Heldt, on the decision. “Our situation remains precarious and we urgently need points to secure our place in the league. Two wins from fourteen matches since the winter break and the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can still turn things around with the current set-up. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start.

“I am delighted that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before becoming head coach of the women’s professional team in the summer as planned.

We would like to thank Steffen Baumgart, Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna for their work, to whom we owe our secure survival in the league last season and a good points haul in the first half of this season. We wish them all the best, both professionally and personally.”

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta ahead of the final few games of the season. “I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations. And, of course, I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points with the team.”

Marie-Louise Eta is taking on her new role with immediate effect. The club will provide an update on the appointment of a new coach for the U-19s shortly.

BFW Commentary

This is truly a monumental moment, but one could question how wise it was for Union Berlin to sack Baumgart. As Eta is about to experience, the veteran coach led an extremely thin roster, which is lacking talent to an 11th place spot in table entering Sunday’s action.

While obviously not great, the Iron Ones are not in danger of relegation, even with a squad that that might not be up to par with many teams in the Bundesliga. What seemed to fell Baumgart was the team’s performance in its last six games where it had one win, one draw, and four losses.

Regardless, Eta is getting a wonderful opportunity to break barriers, but she will have her work cut out for her to get this group motivated to finish the season strong. Games against VfL Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig, FC Köln, Mainz 05, and FC Augsburg lie ahead, which…could be a lot worse.

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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