A big topic for others, not for her - Eta on groundbreaking head coach role

Sporseverleri yakından ilgilendiren önemli bir haber var. A big topic but not for Eta - first female head coach on Union Berlin role Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Marie-Louise Eta will take charge of five Union Berlin games as interim head coach By Kit Holden Sport Published 27 minutes ago As the world's media crammed into the tiny news conference room in south-east Berlin on Thursday, Marie-Louise Eta could not help but look faintly amused. "It's good to see so many people here and I totally understand that this is a big topic. But for me it has always just been about football and working with people," Union Berlin's new head coach said.

However, as Eta knows well, she will make football history when her side host Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Appointed as interim coach until the end of the season after the sacking of Steffen Baumgart last weekend, 34-year-old Eta will be the first female to take charge of a men's team in one of the top five European leagues. It is a milestone that has made global headlines, even before a ball is kicked on her watch.

Maçın Detayları

On Thursday Eta was keen to reframe the story, noting she was "far from the first woman working in professional men's football" while also recognising those who see her appointment as having "a signalling effect". This, after all, is not her first rodeo. In the 2023-24 season she became the first female assistant coach in the men's Bundesliga, helping Union Berlin to safety in a dramatic relegation battle.

Now in the top job, the hype is bigger. On Tuesday morning dozens of journalists lined up in the drizzle to watch Eta's first training session. Eta appeared to have an immediate rapport with the players, many of whom she worked with during her previous spell with the men's team.

"It helps that I know a lot of the players and the staff already. My first impression is that the team is very open," she said. "I am often asked whether it is different to coach men and women and I always say no.

Yorumlar ve Beklentiler

"It's about football and it's about people. You have to build a relationship with the person in front of you, because in the end it is about trust. " A coach from the class of Hurzeler and Rohl Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Eta played for Turbine Potsdam, Hamburger, Cloppenburg and Werder Bremen (above) As a player, Eta grew up idolising David Beckham and had a successful career as a midfielder in the women's Bundesliga.

She represented Germany at youth level and won the Champions League with Turbine Potsdam in 2010 before ending her career early because of injury in 2018. When she earned her professional coaching badge in 2023, she was the only woman in a class that also included current Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler and Rangers boss Danny Rohl. She joined Union as a youth-team coach later that year and quickly became a popular figure at the club.

Kulüpler ve federasyonlar bu gelişmeyi yakından izliyor. Sporun geleceğine dair önemli sonuçlar doğurması bekleniyor.