'Great energy' - Marie-Louise Eta starts Union Berlin training

Marie-Louise Eta arrived with a big smile on her face for Union Berlin training on Tuesday as she became the first woman in a top European league to take charge of a men’s team.

“Come together, lads,” she said as she addressed the players in a short speech before the session began in rainy conditions.

Training was closed for fans but Union president Dirk Zingler was present for the historic occasion along with around 40 German and international media representatives.

Eta mainly watched during the first half hour before taking charge when tactics were worked on. “Full throttle,” she shouted as well as “lads, listen.”

In a club video after training, Eta said: “Great energy, a positive atmosphere. Especially after the day off, there was a lot of intensity and plenty of football, so overall I’m very, very pleased with today’s first session – it was a good start.”

Eta was appointed head coach late on Saturday for the remaining five games of the Bundesliga season and possibly beyond. She succeeded Steffen Baumgart, who was fired after a 3-1 defeat at bottom club Heidenheim.

Union are 11th but have won only two of their games in 2026 and are not safe from relegation yet, seven points above the danger zone.

Eta’s first match in charge is on Saturday at home to second-last Wolfsburg. A victory would save Union from the automatic drop. She is expected to meet the media in the days before the game.

Eta already worked as Union assistant coach in 2023 and before Saturday was in charge of the under-19 team. She is due to take over Union’s women’s Bundesliga team for next term but that may change if she achieves good results with the men’s side.

Director of professional football Horst Heldt said that a change at the helm could energize the team and that Eta showed three years ago that she has everything it takes to be successful.

“She knows the stadium, knows the atmosphere, the people and first and foremost the players,” Heldt added.

Kompany thrilled for Eta

Eta’s appointment has made big waves in Germany and abroad.

Union said on Monday that they had to deal with some abusive and sexist online comments about her appointment but there has mostly been praise, even from the men’s old guard.

“It feels a bit strange at first, but times have changed. Even an old crock like me has realized that,” 77-year-old former long-time Bayer Leverkusen general manager Rainer Calmund told broadcaster RTL/ntv.

“You just have to accept that football isn’t a men’s pub gathering; it’s a cut-throat professional business.”

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany told a news conference on Tuesday: “I’m really happy for her. It’s always very easy to dismiss these key moments and say she’s just a coach like any other. But ultimately, it’s something quite special.

“It opens up opportunities for younger women who feel they too can become coaches. It opens doors. I wish her all the best. My only hope is that she isn’t treated like a man there, that people show her more patience. Coaching is a job where you’d really like to have more patience.”

On the women’s side, Claudia Neumann, the first woman to commentate a men’s match on German TV at Euro 2016 which made her the target of abuse, told dpa: “I’m delighted about this.

“My first thought was: a charming, astute and logical move by president Dirk Zingler. What’s more, Marie-Louise Eta is an extremely capable coach who absolutely deserves this opportunity. It won’t be a failure – she’ll rise to the challenge.

“It will be years before true equality is achieved. But we need to pave the way first, which is why I think it’s brilliant that Marie-Louise Eta is taking this step. Her promotion will spur further progress.”

German Football Federation vice-president Celia Sasic struck a similar tone and said that at the top level, gender doesn’t matter.

“Someone has opened the door a little bit,” she told RTL/ntv. “The players just want to win matches. I don’t think they want to bring up any other issues. And in the end, it’s just like in all competitive sport: it’s the results that count.”

Union Berlin new coach Marie-Louise Eta leads the training of the German Bundesliga club 1. FC Union Berlin at the Alte Foersterei. Marie-Louise Eta is the first woman in a European top league to take charge of a men's team. Matthias Koch/dpa

‘Great energy’ – Marie-Louise Eta starts Union Berlin training

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