Marie-Louise Eta: Inside the world of the trailblazing German coach

Marie-Louise Eta made waves when she became the first woman to lead a men’s soccer team in Europe’s top 5 leagues, after she took charge of Union Berlin in Germany’s Bundesliga as an interim first in 2024 and then again for an extended period of time in 2026. Now, she has been tasked with leading the women’s team in their second-ever Frauen-Bundesliga season.

Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Megan Feringa, fresh from four days in Berlin with Eta and Union, where she learned all about the club, their unique history, and why the plan all along was to put Eta at the helm of the women’s side despite her interim stint as head coach of the men’s team last April.

PLUS: All the top moments from the NWSL weekend, including Mal Swanson’s best performance of 2026.

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HOST: Jillian Sakovits

GUEST: Megan Feringa

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

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Referenced on the show:

The Bundesliga’s first female coach has taken over the women’s team. Her club gave her many reasons to

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠