At a professional club

German premiere! Woman is the new head coach

Sabrina Wittmann(Bild: Daniel Löb / dpa / picturedesk.com)

It's a real bombshell in men's soccer in Germany: for the first time ever, a woman is taking over as head coach at a professional club! Instead of 54-year-old Michael Köllner, third-division club FC Ingolstadt are now relying on the qualities of a 32-year-old, who previously coached the U19 team in the youth ranks, in the form of Sabrina Wittmann on an interim basis until the end of the season. 

"As fourth in the first half of the season, our plan was to at least be at the top until the end of the season. But since the start of 2024, our inconsistent performances have been more like a rollercoaster ride, as evidenced by our current 15th place in the table for the second half of the season," said FCI sporting director Ivo Grlic. Due to the sporting stagnation, action has now been taken and the helm has been handed over to Wittmann.

"Exactly the right person to bring the season to a positive end!"
Dietmar Beiersdorfer, managing director at Ralph Hasenhüttl's former club, got carried away with a veritable hymn of praise for Wittmann. "She probably knows our club better than almost anyone else, is a 'Schanzerin' through and through [...] and is rightly held in extremely high regard by everyone at the club." The club is convinced that Wittmann is exactly the right person to bring the team's season to a positive conclusion thanks to her expertise in communicating soccer and her emotionality.

And Wittmann herself? Above all, she was grateful and filled with joy. "There is no place I would have preferred to make my debut. Ingolstadt is something very special for me, my home club. I started here 19 years ago, played here myself and took my first steps as a coach. Through all the years on the sidelines of many youth teams, I have matured into the coach I am today ..."