Former women's coach: no equality in professional soccer
Bernd Schröder, long-time coach of Marie-Louise Eta at Turbine Potsdam, finds it "a bit ridiculous" that there is so much talk about gender at Union Berlin's new assistant coach. "It's a social problem, not just a sporting one. We are still a long way from achieving equality. Certainly not in soccer," the 81-year-old told the German Press Agency.
Schröder coached the Turbine Potsdam women's team for several decades. He worked with Eta from 2008 to 2011. Together they won three German championship titles and once the Champions League. Eta's rapid rise comes as no surprise to the North German.
"Even back then, she was a typical girl who knew right from the start which direction she was going in. She was prepared to take on anything and was very ambitious. You could always tell from her genes that she had real potential," said Schröder.
Schröder also believes his former player is capable of taking on the head coach position, but recommends that she "perform with a man". After all, women are still often ridiculed in soccer. The pressure is less with a man at her side. "It's incredibly difficult to perform alone and as a woman you have to be incredibly strong in soccer," Schröder said.
In the Bundesliga, 1st FC Union Berlin has appointed a new assistant coach, stirring discussions about gender equality. Despite this, former women's coach Bernd Schröder, who worked with Marie-Louise Eta at Turbine Potsdam, believes that there's still a long way to go before achieving equality in soccer.
Source: www.dpa.com
