Ulrike Stange

Stange and her husband were named as ambassadors for the 2017 World Women's Handball Championship hosted by Germany.

Stange married German footballer Per Mertesacker on 22 June 2013. and they have two sons (born April 2011 and May 2014). They began a relationship after first meeting in 2008 while both were recovering from injury at a rehab clinic in Donaustauf.

Stange made her international debut for the German national team on 4 March 2005 against Croatia. She missed out on the 2008 Olympics after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a pre-tournament friendly against Cuba. She has 38 caps (63 goals).

From 1998 to 2003, and again from 2005 onwards, Stange played on the right wing position at Bundesliga club HC Leipzig. Between 2003 und 2005 she was on loan to Borussia Dortmund. In 2009 she won with HC Leipzig the German Championship. That same year she chose not to see out the final year of her contract and opted to move to VfL Oldenburg to be nearer to her partner (later husband), German footballer Per Mertesacker, who was then playing for SV Werder Bremen. In October 2010 Stange announced her decision quit professional handball due to her pregnancy. She played for amateur club Thames Handball Club in London, where she resides with her family, prior to the birth of her second child.

Ulrike Mertesacker (née Stange; born 25 April 1984 in Oschatz) is a German former professional handball player. She played for several top-flight handball clubs and the German national team in her seven years as a professional. Since 2011 she has resided in London with her husband, Arsenal Academy manager and retired footballer Per Mertesacker, and last played for amateur side Thames Handball Club.