First female coach breaks barriers in Men’s Champions League club history

The first German team in history to hire a woman to coach their men's squad is a Bundesliga team competing in the Champions League.

Chirag

November 16, 2023

Marie Louise Eta Becomes First Female Coach In Men's Union Berlin Team — Image via Getty Images

A historic move has been made by a Champions League club, as they’ve appointed a woman as their new assistant coach. Union Berlin, a Bundesliga side, has brought on board former footballer Marie-Louise Eta to assist interim head coach Marco Grote following the departure of former manager Urs Fischer. Presently, the club is struggling at the bottom of both the Bundesliga and their Champions League group, having not secured a win in 14 matches.

Despite finishing fourth in the league last season, marking their highest-ever placement in the Bundesliga, the current campaign has been disastrous for the club. Eta, 32, previously served as Grote’s assistant for Berlin’s U19s team since June.

Her past experience includes managing Germany’s U19s, U15s, and U21s women’s teams after retiring from playing professionally in 2018. Eta has a history with clubs like Hamburg, Werder Bremen, Cleppenburg, and Turbine Potsdam and has represented Germany in various youth teams with 50 appearances.

Her new role with Union Berlin marks a significant milestone as she is set to be the first woman in the dugout during a Bundesliga game when her team faces Augsburg on November 25.

Union Berlin’s journey through the 21st Century primarily involved lower league football until their breakthrough promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019. Their debut campaign landed them in the 11th spot, and subsequent progress saw them qualify for European football by finishing seventh in the following year.

Progress continued as they secured a fifth-place finish the subsequent season, and last year they made it to the top four. Their remarkable rise landed them in a Champions League group alongside Real Madrid, Napoli, and Braga, although they’ve only managed to secure one point from four matches thus far.