Former assistant Marie-Louise Eta is now in interim charge of Union Berlin. - © Maja Hitij

bundesliga

Marie-Louise Eta on breaking down barriers and keeping Union Berlin in the Bundesliga

22.04.2026

Union Berlin's Marie-Louise Eta says she is aware she is perceived as a trailblazer after becoming the first female head coach in any of Europe’s top five leagues, but emphasises that "the important thing is what happens on the pitch".

Eta will take up the role of head coach of Union Berlin’s women’s side at the end of the season, by which point she hopes to have secured Die Eisernen’s Bundesliga status.

Bundesliga sat down with the 34-year-old trailblazer to get her thoughts on Union’s survival chances, and what her appointment means for women in the game…

Bundesliga: Vincent Kompany spoke about you in his press conference before the Real Madrid game. Did you see that?

Marie-Louise Eta: “Yes, it was sent to me. What he said and the way he said it made me happy. At this point I would like to congratulate him on the league title because they had an unbelievable season. It’s always nicer when other people talk about you rather than having to talk about yourself.”

Bundesliga: Did you receive good luck messages from other Bundesliga coaches?

Eta: “Yes, I got messages from several coaches, as well as from several players. I was grateful for all the messages.”

Bundesliga: In terms of pay structure, fan support and the home ground, Union’s women’s team has a different standing to a lot of other Bundesliga clubs. It seems quite a logical step to be taking with you as the men’s head coach. Would you agree?

Eta: “It’s great how Union has supported and developed women’s football in the last few years. It's nice that it's taken on a higher standing at the club. You can feel that promoting women’s football is not only spoken about, but that so much is possible here with the stadium and the fans when there is clarity and conviction in the actions.

"It’s very nice to see. In terms of my personal position, I think that’s independent of gender and it should be about the performance. Whether the person is male or female, it shouldn't be about making a point but rather that this person is the best person for the role.”

Bundesliga: Last Monday you were featured on the iconic BBC 4 Radio show “Women’s Hour”, which was just one example of how your story has become so big. Did you expect such huge media interest when you took the job?

Eta: “I experienced this around two years ago, so the situation is not a completely new one. We expected that there might be a bit more coverage and, of course, I noticed how many cameras were set up, but I was still a little surprised. On the other hand, it maybe wasn’t the biggest surprise either.”

Bundesliga: Was it clear to you that by being given this position you would be seen as a vanguard and role model?

Eta: “This isn't new to me because obviously when you take on a role like this, you will be seen as a trailblazer or a role model. I'm aware of this and I know that this also takes on a role in the wider public. For me, the important thing is what happens on the pitch and it’s ultimately about the football.

"What brings me great joy is the teamwork here with other people and the job itself. However, I'm also aware of my role and it would be nice if it led to one or two more doors being opened. Ultimately, I'm here with the team and the coaching staff to win football matches and that's the most important thing.”

Watch: Eta blocking out the noise

Bundesliga: The team were on a poor run of form when you took over. What were your first tasks? Bringing fresh positive energy or lots of individual conversations?

Eta: “There were a lot of things to do. If you're new to a team, the first thing is to come together as a coaching team and to listen as well as bring in your own ideas. I came across a team that was very open and in the first training session I could sense the positive energy and the belief.

"Of course, the last few weeks and months have left their mark on the players, so there is not the biggest amount of self-confidence, but they were very open and eager to take on feedback. We offered solutions about how we wanted to approach the game and you could already see this in the game [against Wolfsburg].

"They implemented a lot of the ideas very well despite the result not going our way. We were all very disappointed with that, but it was a good step in the right direction. It’s now about building on that, preparing well for the next game, and approaching it full of confidence.”

Eta was Union’s assistant head coach in the 2024/25 season. - Maja Hitij

Bundesliga: The belief and will was there for all to see. Two days later, how would you summarise the game against Wolfsburg?

Eta: “In my opinion, we took a good step in the right direction on Saturday. You could sense that the lads wanted to implement the plan and that a lot of things worked very well. You cannot expect everything to work immediately in such a short space of time, but I saw a lot of good things in the game, both on and off the ball.

"We always kept the belief and we had already spoken a lot about how to deal with setbacks and how to react when things don’t go our way. The lads had to deal with the second goal immediately after the break, but they still fought their way back into the game and they created a lot of chances, which is not always a given. They fought hard and created opportunities, which led to us scoring the goal after previously having had other chances.

"Ultimately, it was just the fine margins lacking for us to not get a better result. We analysed the game well afterwards and we will work on improving some aspects, which is also an important part of our development. We also highlighted the aspects that were positive, which are things that we all need to keep building on. If we keep putting in performances like that, then the results will change in the end.”

Watch: Eta ahead of her first game at the helm

Bundesliga: Your main task this week is to prepare for the tough match against Leipzig. Do you prepare differently for each opponent, or just concentrate on your own tactics?

Eta: “You always must start with yourself because it’s about how we can bring our strengths onto the pitch, but the opposition is also always going to play a role in a Bundesliga game.

"We need to analyse them well and find out what opportunities and spaces they might provide us, as well as what their strengths are and how they might threaten us. We want to prepare the team as well as possible so that they know what to expect at the weekend.

"We want to equip them with the solutions that we have highlighted in order to win the game. This will be our task in training.”

Watch: Highlights of Union’s narrow 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg

Bundesliga: How optimistic are you that Union will be playing in the Bundesliga next season?

Eta: “We're convinced that we'll get the necessary points in the remaining games. We took a good first step at the weekend, even if the result was disappointing and we had to first come to terms with it. It's understandable that the self-confidence is not sky-high after the last few weeks and months, but the lads know the situation in the table so we don’t need to keep on highlighting it.

"They are professional enough and we all know the situation that we find ourselves in. There have even been more difficult situations in the last few years, but we are also not taking it lightly. We have everything in our own hands and we took a good step at the weekend.

"We'll do everything we can in Leipzig to pick up points and after that, we still have three games and are still in a decent position. We know this, so we're just taking it day by day to prepare ourselves well in training and for the games. We will give everything in the games and we're all convinced that we'll pick up the necessary points.”

Bundesliga: What kind of football do you want to see?

Eta: “I always think it’s important to realise what situation the team currently finds itself in. The team has always lived off its defensive stability, its compactness, and its ability to put the opponent under pressure.

"First and foremost, we want to protect our own goal and this is an important foundation in order to win football matches. This is what makes the team strong, which is why it's at the core of our work with the team at the moment. At the same time, in order to win games, we want to score goals and we want to provide our players with attacking solutions.

"We want them to play courageous football with one another and to find solutions under pressure, which is something I believe is very important. As I said, we took an important step on Saturday against Wolfsburg and we want to do the same in Leipzig, even if we know that we have to start with a solid defensive performance. Nevertheless, we want to create chances with the ball there.”

Eta has been full of praise for Union’s Oliver Burke-led attack. - IMAGO/O.Behrendt

Bundesliga: The combination between Andrej Ilić and Oliver Burke for the Union goal against Wolfsburg and the coolness Burke showed in scoring – we haven’t seen that much recently and it looked like a sign of instant improvement. Would you agree?

Eta: “This started from the fact that we defended well in our own box, and we won the first and second balls to bring our attackers into the game. It was a great move on transition through Tim [Skarke] and then from Andrej, who held the ball up well.

"Ollie used his strength and pace to transition from defence straight into attack and there was good timing on the pass to him. Often the hardest thing is to remain calm in front of goal when you have a lot of time going through on the goalkeeper.

"We had a lot of chances in this phase of the game and Ollie worked very hard and had already put in a lot of intensive sprints, so it was impressive how he kept his composure and concentrated to finish off the chance. It was definitely a good moment and an important one for him personally, as well as for the team because it gives us a lot of energy for the coming weeks.”