Former head coach of the German women's national age-group team
German professional soccer Bundesliga side Union Berlin has appointed a female head coach for the first time in the league's history, following the parting of ways with Urs Fischer over poor performance.
Berlin announced through the club's official channels on Saturday (Aug. 16) that the vacancy created by Fischer's departure will be filled by interim head coach Marco Grothe, who previously led the U-19 team.
Fischer was linked with Berlin for the 2018-2019 season, where he earned recognition for his coaching skills by leading the club to promotion from the second tier to the top flight in his first season in charge.
Last season, the club made history by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time in its history.
But Fischer's magic didn't last forever. After opening the season with two straight wins, the club lost nine straight games to slip to the bottom of the 18-team table.
In addition to the league, they suffered an early exit to Stuttgart in the second round of the DFB-Pokal (cup competition) and failed to reach the round of 16 in Group C of the 2023-2024 UCL after going 1-1-3.
In the end, Berlin parted ways with Fischer and chose Grothe, who had been coaching the club's age-group teams, as interim head coach.
The move didn't end there, as the club also promoted Marie-Louise Eta from the youth team to head coach to assist Grothe. This is the first female head coach in Bundesliga history.
Ettar worked with Grothe at the U-19 level and remained as head coach of the men's first team alongside Grothe.
The midfielder, who played 177 games in German women's professional soccer during her playing career, began her coaching career in 2019, according to German outlet Bild. She served as head coach of the German women's U-15, U-17, and U-19 national teams until 2023.
Since July of that year, she has been the head coach of Berlin's U-19 team, making Bundesliga history with this first-team assignment. 19가이드03
