Ingolstadt appoint first female coach in German men's pro football
Sabrina Wittmann has become the first-ever female head coach in German men's professional football after being appointed interim coach at third-division team Ingolstadt.
Wittman will replace Michael Köllner until the end of the season. She previously coached Ingolstadt's under-19 team.
"There's no other place I would have rather made my debut in. Ingolstadt is very special for me, my hometown club. I started here 19 years ago, was a player myself and took my first steps as a coach," she said in a statement on Thursday.
Last year, Marie-Louise Eta became the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history at Union Berlin, but until now there had never been a female head coach in one of the professional leagues in Germany.
"Sabrina Wittmann knows our club better than almost anyone else. As the current head coach of our very successful U19s, she has continuously developed over the past few years - both professionally and personally - and is rightly held in extremely high regard by everyone at the club," managing director Dietmar Beiersdorfer said.
Whether she will take the permanent job next season is unclear. Ingolstadt are currently 11th in the third division, the lowest fully professional league in German football.
"It would be a mistake to rule things out. We're open to everything," sporting director Ivo Grlic told reporters about the prospect of her staying in the job longer term.
"She has the opportunity to get a taste of what professional football is like for three and a half weeks so that she can continue to develop. We're not afraid, the team will follow her, we're absolutely convinced of that."
She was vocal and energetic during her first training session on Thursday. Her first game is on Sunday against Waldhof Mannheim.
