FEATURE: Women Professionals in the Men's Game

Marie-Louise Eta made history in April 2026 by becoming the first female interim head coach of a men’s team in the Bundesliga, taking charge of 1. FC Union Berlin. Paul Schmidt-Troschke looks at the story, and women in the men's game more broadly. 

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Transcript

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Hello and welcome to World Cup etc. with me, Paul Schmetroschke. On the 18th of April 2026, history was made in the German Bundesliga match between Union Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg as the former fielded the first ever female head coach in a European top league match. Her name is Marie-Louise Etat, now appointed as interim head coach of the men's team till the end of this season. But this was by far her first record in regard to groundbreaking achievements in a world where female faces are few and far between. While in Germany's third division, Sabrina Wittmann coaches FC Ingolstadt for almost two seasons already, Etat set the milestone for being the first head coach in the second Bundesliga back in 2023. With the following words, Union Berlin Club Managing Director Horst Held announced the news. While France's former women's national team coach Corinne Siacre was appointed as the first head coach in the European Second Division at French Clermont Foot in 2014, the history of female referees in the game goes back over 90 years. Again, a part of football history which is not talked about at all. Edith Klinger from Austria, who was active from 1935 to 1938, was the first female referee to officiate both men's and women's matches, but instead of her, FIFA recognized Darazan Arda from Turkey, who officiated her first men's game back in 1968 as the first female referee. Considering that these historic moments date back decades, one should ask the question why those were not followed up by at least an incrementally advancing development. The answer to this question is rather simple, because women in men's sports and women's sports in general were strategically suppressed, especially by FIFA when it comes to football. If you want to learn more about the history of women's football, you can visit our Patreon and get access to our premium content starting with our ongoing miniseries in which we dive into the first ever unforgotten Women's World Cup, Copa 71. For this, we interviewed two English players who played in the tournament in a packed Stadio Azteca at the age of 15. The name of the page is Friends of World Sports, etc. And you can find the link both in the podcast description and in the show notes as well. But only in recent years, female referees are given more time in men's games. If they are appointed at all. The Western world, especially Europe, likes to think of itself as particularly progressive. Looking at debuts made by Bibiana Steinhaus in the Bundesliga in 2018, by Stephanie Froppant in the UEFA Cup and Champions League in 2019, and most recently by Rebecca Welch in December 2023 in the Premier League, this alleged progressive image does not really hold, especially when compared to other parts of the world. Assistant referee positions occupied by women date back more than 25 years in Europe, but had referee positions were given to women already back in 2004 in the Mexican Liga MX, 2012 in Macedonia, and 2003 in Brazil's Serie A. Not to anybody's surprise, but FIFA lags behind, per usual. With a notable number of female appointees only starting to grow from 2020 onwards, and only two of 52 referees for the upcoming World Cup being women, namely American Tori Panso and Mexican Katya Garcia. Of course, heavy criticism must be voiced, but I think the slow change which is taking place right now must be appreciated as well, at least a little bit. But to broaden the scope, let's compare the situation in men's football to other sports. To start with basketball, where the most visible steps have been taken yet among these. The NBA has long been seen as one of the most progressive men's leagues when it comes to coaching opportunities for women. The key figure here is Becky Hammond. She was hired as an assistant coach by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, already a historic moment. But the real milestone came on December 13th, 2020, when she became the first woman to act as a head coach in an NBA game after Greg Popovich was ejected. While this was not a permanent head coach appointment, it was the first time a woman led an NBA team during a regular season game. Still, it is important to note that as of now, no woman has been officially appointed as a full-time head coach in the NBA. The step from assistant to permanent head coach remains the biggest hurdle. Baseball tells a similar story, with even fewer opportunities. In Major League Baseball, women have mostly entered the game through coaching and front office roles. A key milestone came with Alyssa Naken, who was hired by the San Francisco Giants as an assistant coach in 2020. Her historic moment followed on April 12, 2022, when she became the first woman to coach on the field during a Major League Baseball regular season game. Like Becky Hammond and basketball, this was not a permanent head coach role, since baseball uses managers rather than traditional head coaches. But it was the closest equivalent in a live game setting. American football remains the most resistant of the three sports. The NFL has historically been very slow to include women in coaching roles. However, even here, progress has started. The most important aim is Katie Sowers, who became an offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. She made history in 2020 as the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl. Same as with men's football, women were integrated earlier into the sports as referees. Concluding, I want to express my frustration, since the pace of the development is extremely slow, and definitely not due to a lack of skill, but rather held up by a patriarchic system and misogyny very visible and present in social media comments after women broke and will continue to break these cultural boundaries. So that's it from us for today.

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