German third division outfit FC Ingolstadt 04 has confirmed a contract extension for their historic female trainer Sabrina Wittmann, who also happens to be closing in on a club record. The 34-year-old Ingolstadt native has served as the head coach of the 3. Liga club since taking over for the sacked Michael Köllner near the end of the 2023/24 campaign. She’s now set to complete her second full season and has been in charge for 79 matches.
What makes Sabrina Wittmann a trailblazer?
Wittmann actually isn’t the first female trainer to direct a German men’s professional football team. Earlier in the very same season that Wittmann received her appointment, there was even briefly a German female trainer in the German top flight. When 1. FC Union Berlin parted company with Urs Fischer in November 2023, Marco Grote and Marie-Louise Eta coached die Eisernen in the Bundesliga on an interim basis.
Eta and Grote shared head coaching responsibilities during three separate stints during the 2023/24 campaign. The pair worked the sidelines on matchday 12 on November 25th, 2023, leading Union Berlin to a 1-1 draw with Augsburg during the league fixture between Fischer’s dismissal and the hiring of Nenad Bjelica. Eta, Grote, and Danijel Jumic also coached Union in late January and early February 2024 whilst Bjelica served a three-match-ban.
When Bjelica was sacked by Union in May, the trio again took the reins during the final two Bundesliga matchdays. While Wittmann technically remained an assistant coach working in either a dual leadership role or triumvirate, she was often handed the responsibility of handling the Union’s pre-and-post-match press conferences. Wittmann also actively directed the team on the pitch.
Witmmann does receive plenty of assistance directing Ingolstadt from her male coaching assistants, but remains the first ever female to officially serve as the lead trainer for a German professional football team. Many Bundesliga journalists nevertheless consider Eta, given her responsibilities, to at the very least be worthy of an asterisk as pertains to reporting on this topic.
Who is Sabrina Wittmann?
Born in upper Bavaria, Witmann relayed in interviews with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Donaukurier that she was persuaded to play at a higher level by German footballing legend Miroslav Klose himself. After working her way up through the ranks of academy clubs Kipfenberg and SC Steinberg, she went on to represent FC Ingolstadt 04 professionally. Later, she would also play for SpVgg Greuther Fürth and SC Stern München.
Wittmann also played high school football in Kentucky and, prior to moving back to Ingolstadt, coached a middle school girls team in the United States. She played and coached at the same time before finally hanging up her cleats permanently following a nine-year part time amateur stint with SC Amicita München in 2024. Since assuming her new role at Ingolstadt, Wittmann has kept the team stable in mid-table.
What records is Wittmann closing in on?
Ingolstadt’s very first coach after the club consolidated, Jürgen Press, worked the bench from 2004 to 2007. Press, also an Ingolstadt native, still holds the club record for number of games coached after being in charge for a total of 122 fixtures. Former RB Leipzig, Southampton, and VfL Wolfsburg head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl occupies second place on the all-time list. Hasenhüttl coached Ingolstadt for 95 games between 2013 and 2016.
Ingolstadt did not disclose the details of Wittmann’s new contract, but one can at least assume that she’s been signed working papers good through the 2026/27 campaign. With 11 games left in the current ongoing 2025/26 season, Wittmann will hit 90 matches in charge when this season wraps up. She’ll have a chance to surpass both Hasenhüttl and Press next year.
Statements on Wittmann’s extension
“As head coach, Sabrina has consistently demonstrated her professional quality and leadership skills,” FCI managing director Dietmar Beiersdorfer noted in a club statement. “Her authenticity, her clear vision of football, and her consistent focus on the sustainable development of our team and our players set her apart.
“Thanks to her many years at FC Ingolstadt 04, she also brings with her an exceptional level of identification and responsibility for our club,” Beiersdorfer’s statement continued. “We are convinced that we will continue to take the next steps in our development with her in the future. It is therefore important for us to continue on this path with Sabrina and thus ensure continuity.“
“Something very worthwhile has developed here, especially in recent months,” Wittmann added in her own statement. “The foundation of mutual trust, hard work, and a special sense of unity exists. Now we want to further consolidate this stability and continue consistently on the path we have chosen.
“As I enjoy the work here immensely and I feel a great deal of trust in the club, I would particularly like to highlight the incredibly great cooperation with Didi Beiersdorfer, my coaching and staff team, and the team,” Wittmann continued. “This contract extension like precisely the right thing.“
