German men's pro football gets first female coach

Sabrina Wittmann, the first female coach in one of Germany's three men's professional football leagues, said she was comfortable and relaxed ahead of her debut match at the helm on Sunday.

Wittmann was appointed as FC Ingolstadt's interim coach until the end of the season after the third-tier side dismissed Michael Köllner when the club missed out on promotion. 

She appeared before journalists on Friday for her first news conference in the role.

What did the new coach say?

Ahead of her debut against relegation-threatened Waldhof Mannheim, Ingolstadt native Wittmann said she knew "all the players, from the very small to the very big ones."

The 32-year-old has been with the club for 19 years, initially as a player and most recently as coach of the under-19s.

"I feel totally at home in men's football," said Wittmann. "I've never had any big plans for the future in the past, everything just went really well," she told journalists.

Wittmann admitted that she hadn't dwelled too deeply upon where her promotion might lead.

"I haven't thought about whether this is the only or last chance in my life or whether there will be 40 others," she said. Everything happened too fast, but it felt "really good," she added.

In a previous interview, while she was still under-19s coach, Wittmann said it was important for women to blaze a trail.

"Role models are important so that other women realize what is possible," she said. 

How likely is Wittmann to stay?

While former Werder Bremen midfielder Marie-Louise Eta last year became the Bundesliga's first female assistant coach at Union Berlin, there had never until now been a female head coach in one of the professional men's leagues in Germany.

While Wittmann is initially an interim solution for the last three league games, the club has said that could change. 

Ingolstadt sporting director Ivo Grlic said he would not rule out signing Wittmann on a permanent deal.

"It would be a mistake to rule things out. We're open to everything," Grlic told reporters about the prospect.

"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."

rc/nm (dpa, SID)