Idman.biz
There have been cases in the history of world football where women have led men's teams and even led them to championships.
The appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as head coach of Union Berlin has become a significant event not only for German but for all of European football.
Idman.Biz reports that the Berlin club entrusted the men's team to her after Steffen Baumgart's departure.
With this, Eta has gone down in history as both the first woman to lead a Bundesliga club and the first woman to be the head coach of a men's team in one of Europe's TOP-5 leagues. Considering that such cases are rare in men's football, this is indeed considered a new stage.
One of the first such examples, confirmed and widely documented, is from Italy. In 1999, Carolina Morace became the first woman to head a men's professional team by coaching the Viterbese club (Serie C1). Although her activity did not last long, this event remained one of the few examples for a long time.
The next noteworthy event occurred in France. In 2014, Clermont appointed Helena Costa as head coach, but she left before her first game. Later, Corinne Diacre was brought to the team, and she went down in history as the first woman to lead a men's professional team to an official game in France. This event was one of the symbols showing that barriers in men's football are gradually being removed.
One of the most brilliant success stories happened in Hong Kong. In December 2015, Chan Yuen-Ting was appointed head coach of the Eastern club, and on April 22, 2016, the team won the championship with a 2:1 victory over South China. This title was the club's first championship in 21 years. Chan made history as the first woman to champion a men's team in the top league.
In 2017, she broke new ground again by becoming the first female coach to lead a men's club to an Asian Champions League match.
Significant events have also been recorded in subsequent years. In 2021, Helen Nkwocha became the first woman to coach a men's team representing a top league in Europe, working as an interim head coach at Tvøroyri in the Faroe Islands.
In 2023, Forest Green Rovers appointed Hannah Dingley as interim head coach. With this, she went down in history as the first woman to coach a men's professional team in England, although her activity was short-lived.
A new stage has begun in Germany. In May 2024, Ingolstadt entrusted Sabrina Wittmann until the end of the season, and in June her appointment was formalized. Thus, she became the first woman to lead a men's team playing in one of the top three leagues in Germany. Under her leadership, Ingolstadt remained undefeated in four games and won the Bavarian Cup.
Against this background, Eta's appointment to Union Berlin is no longer seen as just a sensation, but as the next step at a larger level - in the Bundesliga and the European elite.
In Azerbaijani football, this process is just beginning. In May 2025, Zulfiyya Bayramova made history as the first woman to work in a men's team. She joined the coaching staff of the Shimal club as a goalkeeper coach.
At that time, Shimal was playing in the II League and had secured a place in the I League for the next season. This is not yet a woman leading a men's club, but it is considered an important step showing the beginning of changes in Azerbaijani football.
