Werder's women's boss on Eta: "Fancy a shark tank"
Werder Bremen's head of women's soccer Birte Brüggemann has praised Marie-Louise Eta as an "absolute coaching talent and highly competent specialist". "She lives and breathes soccer. She thinks soccer and deals intensively with tactics and training theory," Brüggemann told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur about Union Berlin's new assistant coach.
Brüggemann and Eta know each other very well from their time together in Bremen. Brüggemann has been head of the women's soccer department at Werder since 2007. Eta played at the Weser from 2014 to 2018, after her active career she coached the U13 and U14 juniors there.
The fact that the 32-year-old is the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history five years later comes as no surprise to her long-time companion Brüggemann. "She was always self-confident and determined and wanted to get into this high level of soccer. She also had requests from women's soccer, but she made a very conscious decision to go into this shark tank of men's soccer. She wants to play in this shark tank," said the 52-year-old.
Brüggemann sees Eta, who has been in charge of Union training together with interim coach Marco Grote since Urs Fischer was released, as a role model for other women. "She opens doors for many other female coaches in the Bundesliga," said Brüggemann, who believes Eta could also take on the role of head coach in the Bundesliga in the future.
"At the moment, this step is perhaps still a little early. Let's paint a picture of her as a head coach. If things don't go so well, it's even more below the belt than with men, and she would immediately be reduced to her gender. Her current role as assistant coach is perfect for growing into the business. Marco Grote has the main responsibility," said Brüggemann.
Marie-Louise Eta's move to 1st FC Union Berlin as an assistant coach makes her the first woman to hold such a position in Bundesliga history. Previously, Eta played and coached at Werder Bremen's women's team, where she developed a strong bond with Birte Brüggemann, the head of the women's soccer department.
Source: www.dpa.com
