Berlin’s Eta becomes first female head coach of a top-tier European club after her appointment by the Bundesliga side.

German football club Union Berlin has made history by naming Marie-Louise Eta as manager, making her the first female head coach in Bundesliga history, following the sacking of Steffen Baumgart.

Eta, who was given the job on Sunday, becomes the first female top-flight coach of a men’s team in a major European league. The 34-year-old, who was the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga, will take over for the remainder of the season.

“I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task,” Eta said in a statement.

She made history in 2023 as the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga and across the top divisions of Europe’s “big five” football leagues. She had to step in for media duties for head coach Nenad Bjelica when he was suspended for three games in 2024.

Baumgart was sacked on Sunday morning after the club’s form flatlined in the second half of the season, with Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by last-placed Heidenheim the final straw.

“I’m delighted that Marie-Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before she becomes head coach of the women’s first team as planned in the summer,” Union sporting director Horst Heldt said in a statement.

Union have won just two games since Christmas and sit seven points above the relegation playoff spot.

“We’ve had an absolutely disappointing second half of the season,” Heldt said.

“Our situation remains precarious, and we desperately need points to stay in the league.

“The performances in recent weeks don’t give us the confidence we could turn things around with the current set-up.”

As a player with Turbine Potsdam, Eta won the Champions League in 2010, along with three Bundesliga titles. She has already committed to taking over Union Berlin’s women’s Bundesliga team from the summer.

Women have managed men’s football teams in the lower divisions but never in the top flight.

German third-tier Ingolstadt FC are currently coached by Sabrina Wittmann, while French second-flight club Clermont were managed by Corinne Diacre for three seasons until 2017.