Last Saturday's match against RB Leipzig (2-3) marked the end of his long working life. Time for retirement. Saying that: Anyone who knows Meinolf Sprink will know that the 66-year-old will definitely not take it too quietly to start with. Born in Düsseldorf, he has always been very interested in a lot of things and very communicative. Characteristics that fit the job requirements of his many posts.
The qualified logistics manager and Master of Business Administration started in journalism. After practical training at the Neuss-Grevenbroicher-Zeitung/Rheinische Post, Sprink went on to be the editor there. But he moved on to PR work for Bayer AG in 1988, which included heading the section of 'Press and PR inland'. Between 1996 and 1999 he took over the role of a media relations manager in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the American Bayer subsidiary of Bayer Corporations.
The next step in his career followed on his return from the USA: Sprink took over from Jürgen von Einem as the sports representative at Bayer AG on 1 January 2000. In this role he was also on the Bayer 04 Leverkusen. GmbH shareholders committee. Sprink, who played in the table tennis Bundesliga second division for Neusser TTC, worked on behalf the whole Bayer Sports set-up for seven years. In 2002 he was with the football team for the Champions League final against Real Madrid in Glasgow. Sprink gave the speech for Bayer 04 at the banquet on the night before the game and he received a "well done" from guest of honour Sir Sean Connery, the James Bond actor.
Away from the big stage, the group sports representative was to be found at a different type of Bayer sports event every weekend as a spectator and contact. Whether that was handball or volleyball, with the athletes and para-athletes at TSV, or hockey, which Spring always had a special connection with. Not least as Annika, one of his four daughters, won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 with the Germany hockey team.
When Sprink moved from Bayer AG to Bayer 04 in 2007 he first took over the communications and marketing section. From 2013 to 2015 he was the communications/media director. Since July 2015 Spring with the director for fans and community affairs. In those areas he initiated, pushed and accompanied numerous projects, which saw him involved in frank and honest exchanges with everybody involved.
Even with all his commitments, the humorous Rhinelander could also take a relaxed view of things. Just one event a year is non-negotiable for him: Visiting the Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest festival at the end of August start of September in his hometown will count as a must in the future for the tradition-conscious Meinolf Sprink.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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