The Context of Union Berlin

Steffen Baumgart had just been sacked following a 3-1 defeat to bottom side Heidenheim. Union were 11th in the table, having won only two of their last 14 league games. Five matches left in the season. A six-point buffer above the relegation play-off spot that could disappear quickly if things continued the way they were going. In that situation, any club wants someone who knows the dressing room, understands the squad, and can communicate their football ideas clearly. Eta ticked every one of those boxes. She had been at Union Berlin since 2023, first as assistant coach under Marco Grote, then working alongside Nenad Bjelica, and most recently running the men's U19 side. She was already scheduled to take over as head coach of the women's team in the summer. The decision to hand her the men's first team until the season's end was, in the words of sporting director Horst Heldt, about quality first and foremost. "We have 100 per cent confidence in Loui, complete conviction," Heldt said. Anyone who has followed Union Berlin closely enough would find that entirely believable.

Her Coaching Path

After hanging up her boots, Eta began coaching in the youth setup at Werder Bremen. She became, at the time, the only female coach working in the academy system of a men's Bundesliga club. She said back then that quality is the only thing that matters on the training pitch. "It doesn't make me proud because I'm the only woman. As a person, I am happy that I can do this job. I don't see any difference whether a man or a woman works in youth football. The quality of the coach on and off the pitch is crucial." Eta said back in 2018. She also coached Germany's women's youth sides, working with the U15, U17, and U19 teams at the national level. So by the time she arrived at Union Berlin in 2023, Eta had already spent the better part of five years developing players across multiple age groups and environments. At Union, she became the first woman to serve as assistant coach at a men's Bundesliga club. First woman to serve in a first-team coaching role across any of Europe's top five leagues. In the 2023/24 season, when Bjelica served a suspension, she stepped in as acting head coach, and Union won the game. That result did not get nearly enough attention at the time. She then took charge of Union's U19s this season. By all accounts, the side played progressive, high-energy football with a clear identity. People who followed them consistently praised the quality of the work being done with that squad. This is a person with a Champions League winner's medal as a player, national team coaching experience, first-team Bundesliga experience, and a year of running a men's youth side at the same club. The case for giving her the job was already sitting there before anyone had to make it.