Suhul Shire

Shire sits in the Tigray Region, and for much of the past two decades that meant war before it meant football. The city took heavy fighting during the Tigray conflict, and Suhul Shire's own recent record carries that weight: a club still finding its footing in a region that has had other things to worry about than league form.

The club was founded in 2012 and did not reach the Ethiopian Premier League until the 2018-2019 season, a six-year climb through the lower divisions before it got a look at the top flight. It has yet to win the league or the Ethiopian Cup, and after finishing 17th in the 2025-2026 Premier League, it dropped back down to the Ethiopian First Division. Endaselassie Stadium, the club's home ground, holds around 2,000 people.

The squad has leaned on Ethiopian internationals rather than marquee foreign signings. Goalkeeper Fasil Gebremichael and defensive midfielder Mulualem Mesfen both went from Shire's own shirt into national-team contention, a route that says something about the club's role in the region: less a trophy factory than a proving ground for Tigrayan players trying to get noticed. Foreign faces have been rare, though Ghanaian midfielder Latif Mohammed and Ugandan midfielder Yassar Mugerwa both turned out for the club.

Distance rather than history shapes the rivalries. Mekelle Kenema and Mekelle 70 Enderta, both based in the regional capital, are the closest thing Suhul Shire has to a derby, matches that carry the pull of the region's two main cities rather than any old grudge.

The club plays in yellow at home, green away, with black as a third option — no nickname beyond the shortened Suhul Shire itself.