Marie-Louise Eta: ‘I wanted to impress through my work, not because I am a woman’
Marie-Louise Eta, 35, reflected on a year in which she became the first woman to lead a men’s top-flight team in one of Europe’s big five leagues when she was named interim head coach of Union Berlin in April following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart; her brief spell produced two wins, one draw and two losses as Union finished 11th in the Bundesliga. She is now in charge of Union’s women’s side for the current season and has been assessing that period and its aftermath.
Eta’s appointment followed earlier milestones: three years earlier she became the first woman to serve as an assistant coach in the men’s Bundesliga and in 2024 she led the Union men’s team in one game. The Bayern Munich manager, Vincent Kompany, described her appointment as something that could open doors for younger women who want to become coaches. Speaking to Moving the Goalposts, Eta said: “For me, it was never about being the first. It quickly became clear that it wasn’t about making history, but about supporting a team and achieving success together once again.” She acknowledged intense attention on her gender, adding that her first matches were not “just about football at that time, but also very much about the issue of women in the game”.
Union lost Eta’s first two matches in charge against Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig, then drew with Cologne before recording a 3-1 victory at Mainz; she ended the interim stint with a 4-0 win over Augsburg. At full time after the Mainz game Eta punched the air and joined her players in applauding Union’s fans. The club publicly condemned sexist and derogatory abuse on social media and described it as “embarrassing and insane”.
Eta said she sought to be evaluated on performance rather than gender, stating: “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,” and added: “I wanted to be judged by the same standards as my male colleagues.” She also reported receiving messages from women and girls who said her journey had encouraged them, and said: “My hope is that my journey will encourage young girls to believe in their own potential and to pursue their goals.”
Reflecting on lessons from the interim role, Eta said: “It is important to stay true to yourself and remain clear-headed. 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.” She stressed she had not set out to create a legacy, saying: “For me, it’s always been about football and working with people to achieve success together as a team.”
Eta’s season with the Union women began with a difficult run: their first match was against Bayern Munish and they lost 4-1, failing to pick up a point in their first four games. The side have since beaten RB Leipzig, Stuttgart and, in the cup, Magdeburg. Tactically, Eta started with a 4-4-2 formation before switching to a 4-3-3; she has made clear the formation changed but “the ambition did not.”
Eta said her aims for the women’s team include building a squad that plays with a clear identity and develops players as well as seeking results, declaring she wants “to build a team that plays football with courage, energy and intensity” and to “dictate games and be dominant”. She added: “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.”
Eta remains in charge of Union’s women’s side this season and is focused on implementing the tactical and developmental plans she has described, aiming to combine on-field results with player progress and a defined style of play.
