'It would be nice if paths and doors are opened' - Marie-Louise Eta ahead of her first game in charge of Union Berlin
On Saturday afternoon, Union Berlin interim head coach Marie-Louise Eta will etch her name in the Bundesliga’s history books by becoming the first female to take charge of a men’s first team in Europe’s top five leagues.
The world’s eyes will be firmly fixed on the 34-year-old when Union and Wolfsburg emerge from the Stadion An der Alten Försterei tunnel for the crucial Matchday 30 encounter – just as they were at her first press conference on Thursday afternoon.
But Eta, who was previously in charge of the Berlin club’s U19 side, has not appeared unduly flustered by all the attention. For her, all that matters is halting a run of form which ultimately led to her predecessor, Steffen Baumgart, being relieved of his duties last weekend.
“Of course, I completely understand the fact that for the public, it plays a role and it’s a big topic,” Eta said on Thursday. “But for me, I’m basically used to it and it’s never been an issue for me.
“It’s always about football for me. It’s about working together with people, and that’s what I enjoy most – in that togetherness, in that cooperation, being as successful as possible.”
Unlike many other head coaches leading a training session in a new role for the first time, Eta has the obvious advantage of knowing several members of the Union first team from her spell as assistant to interim coach Marco Grote and then Nenad Bjelica in 2023.
For the players too, it has very much been business as usual this week.
“The contact has always been there throughout my time,” she explained. “I basically know the team, so it was nice to get started on Tuesday when we had the first meeting. I sensed a very positive mood [and] I also sensed a very open team.
“There were a few players who didn’t know me that well yet and didn’t know Andi [Kerwin], my assistant from the U19s, that well, so it was about them getting to know us but also getting down to business as quickly as possible.”
Widely hailed as a trailblazer for women’s football, Eta was eager to tone down her image as a pioneer, pointing instead to the success of other female coaches in the men’s game. She does, however, hope that her appointment leads to further opportunities for women and girls.
Watch: Marie-Louise Eta blocking out the noise
“There are so many people in the club, in football, who are female too, so it’s not like there’s never been a role [for women],” she said. “There have been coaches before me.
“We have Sabrina Wittmann, who is head coach at [3. Liga side] Ingolstadt, who I know very well and is doing a very good job there. Before that there was [ex-Germany international and former fourth-tier SV Straelen coach] Inka Grings. Corinne [Diacre] in France, also a men’s first-team coach in the second tier.
“I just find it important and clear that there is visibility, and it’s nice if maybe as a result, paths and doors are opened, inspiration is generated, young girls see everything that’s possible - that you can never rule out anything and that it is just about merit, and you can get to wherever you want to go.”
Responding to some of the hateful comments that have appeared on social media in recent days, Eta said: “I don’t read any comments, I never have before and there’s no time to concern myself with that now.
“It has been brought to my attention that there have been hate posts, but I know there has been a lot of positive stuff too. That’s nice and that should prevail. What happens on social media is a general and fundamental issue.
“I have big question marks about that, but basically I don’t pay attention to it because I think it says a lot more about the person who posts that online than it does about the person, whether it’s me or other people, who they’re venting about.
“It would be nice nice if one day this question [about women in the men’s game] isn’t even asked anymore, when it’s just about sport, about football, about performance, about success, because that’s why you start in football. It’s about getting the best out of [the job] wherever you are. It’s irrespective of gender."
Getting the best out of her players will be her number one priority when Wolfsburg visit the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday. Dieter Hecking’s team are currently second-bottom, 11 points behind Union in the standing, but Eta is in no mood to underestimate the struggling Wolves.
“They’re certainly a team with quality in the squad, with a lot of players, particularly in attack, who offer a lot in terms of speed, in terms of intelligence, in terms of skill,” she said. “[But] they do offer spaces and opportunities, which we want to make the best use of.
“It’s very much down to us and how we approach this match, but I’m convinced we can nullify Wolfsburg’s quality and then look for our own opportunities to win the match.”
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