Union Berlin make Bundesliga history in hiring female interim assistant Marie-Louise Eta

Marie-Louise Eta is set to become the first female coach in the Bundesliga after she was promoted to Union Berlin first-team duties as an assistant to interim boss Marco Grote.

The German side announced on Wednesday they had mutually parted ways with head coach Urs Fischer, who oversaw their 2019 promotion to the top flight and led them into the Champions League.

Grote, formerly in charge of the club’s under-19s setup, will temporarily take the reins and has brought Eta, who joined the under-19s staff in the summer, along with him.

Eta, 32, is set to become the first female coach to appear on a men’s Bundesliga bench when struggling Union Berlin host Augsburg on November 25.

The former defensive midfielder won the Champions League and three Bundesliga crowns with Turbine Potsdam as a player, with later spells at Hamburg, Cloppenburg and Werder Bremen before retiring in 2018 at the age of 26.

She started her career with Bremen’s under-15s boys’ team, then worked under Bettina Wiegmann as assistant for the country’s women’s under-15s side, eventually stepping up to the men’s under-17s before joining Grote at Union.