Germany’s Sabrina Wittmann extends FC Ingolstadt contract as nation’s first female professional men’s team coach

Key facts

• Sabrina Wittmann, 34, signed a new contract with FC Ingolstadt 04 after becoming the first woman to manage a German men’s professional football team in 2024.
• Wittmann completed her professional coaching licence just over one month ago.
• Born in Ingolstadt in 1991, she first joined a football club after encouragement from former German striker Miroslav Klose while on holiday in Italy.
• At 16 she moved to the United States, played high-school soccer in Kentucky and served as assistant coach for a middle-school team.
• After returning to Germany in 2009 she coached in Ingolstadt’s youth academy, later managed the under-19 team in the youth Bundesliga, and was appointed interim coach of the men’s first team in 2024 before earning the permanent post.