Union Berlin has surprisingly parted ways with coach Steffen Baumgart following their defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim. Marie-Louise Eta is set to become the first female head coach in the Bundesliga, tasked with turning the team’s fortunes around.
The bombshell announcement came shortly before midnight. Coach Steffen Baumgart is out at Union Berlin, and Marie-Louise Eta is taking over. The completely unexpected news, carrying historical significance, spread rapidly on Saturday evening despite the late hour. After a dismal 1-3 (0-2) loss to bottom-placed 1. FC Heidenheim, the 34-year-old will be the first female head coach on the sidelines of a men’s Bundesliga team, aiming to prevent the Köpenick club’s collapse.
«We’ve had an absolutely disappointing second half of the season so far, and we shouldn’t be fooled by our league standing: our situation remains precarious, and we urgently need points to secure our league survival,» explained managing director Horst Heldt.
With only two wins in their last 14 games and a deceptive seven-point lead over the relegation play-off spot, Heldt stated that these results and «the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can achieve a turnaround with the current setup.» Therefore, the club wants to «start anew» for the remainder of the season.
Union is doing just that with Eta. «I’m delighted that the club has entrusted me with this demanding task,» said the new interim coach. «One of Union’s strengths has been, and continues to be, pooling all our efforts together in situations like these. And of course, I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points with the team.»
Eta Faces Immediate Challenge with Union Berlin Against Wolfsburg
Eta’s first opportunity arises in a crucial relegation battle against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday at 3:30 PM. While this will be her debut as the primary person in charge of the professional team, the situation is not entirely new for the former U19 coach.
In November 2023, Eta already made history alongside interim coach Marco Grote as the first female co-coach in the Bundesliga after Urs Fischer’s departure. Now, she adds another historical chapter to her career, while her husband, Benjamin Eta, incidentally coaches the U20 women’s team for RB Leipzig. After the season concludes, Eta is scheduled to succeed Ailien Poese as the head coach of Union’s women’s team. This internal transition was only announced by Union on Good Friday.
Union Berlin in Crisis: «An Outrage»
For now, Eta must focus on the mission of staying in the league. Few could have predicted this turn of events. However, the mood following the defeat at Heidenheim, who had waited 15 matches for a win, had reached an all-time low at Union. «It was an outrage what we offered today,» grumbled captain Rani Khedira to Sky. «A really, really bad performance that shouldn’t happen like this,» was Heldt’s bitter conclusion on DAZN.
The consequence followed late in the evening. Along with Baumgart, who took office at the beginning of 2025, assistant coaches Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna also had to leave their positions. Baumgart himself had taken responsibility for the «poor second half of the season» just hours before his dismissal. He acknowledged he must «face the responsibility of getting us to perform positively.» But now, Eta is expected to achieve that.