Union Berlin has made a historic decision following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart, appointing Marie-Louise Eta as interim head coach. The 34-year-old becomes the first woman to lead a men's team in the Bundesliga and across Europe's top five leagues as head coach.

Eta takes responsibility for the remaining five games of the season after Baumgart was relieved of his duties late on Saturday following a disappointing 3-1 defeat to bottom-placed 1. FC Heidenheim. This marks a groundbreaking step for the Berlin club and top-tier European football.

Marie-Louise Eta has already made history on several occasions. In 2023, she became the first woman assistant coach at Union Berlin under Marco Grote. In 2024, she already led the team from the dugout when she deputized for then-head coach Nenad Bjelica during his suspension.

Since the start of the 2025/26 season, Eta has been coaching Union Berlin's U19 team and is set to take over the club's women's team in the summer. Her appointment as interim coach for the professional men's team is another milestone in her impressive career.

As a player, Marie-Louise Eta was also highly successful. She represented Turbine Potsdam, Hamburger SV, Cloppenburg, and Werder Bremen, as well as Germany at various youth levels, before retiring at the end of the 2017/18 season at the age of 26.

During her time at Turbine Potsdam, she won the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2010, three Bundesliga titles, and two DFB-Hallenpokal trophies. With Germany, she also secured the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Now, she faces her biggest challenge yet, aiming to secure Union Berlin's place in the Bundesliga.