Real Tamale

Real Tamale United went eight years without top-flight football before the 2020/21 campaign, and they ended that spell the hard way: winning Zone One of the Division One League after beating Unity FC 2–0 on the final day sent them back up for 2021/22. The climb back took most of a decade, including a Division One title in 2015/16 that was not, on its own, enough to force the door open.

The Pride of the North were founded in 1976 by Alhaji Adam H., and the Blue and Whites have made a habit of getting close without getting there. Four Ghana FA Cup finals — 1981, 1986, 1998 and 2001 — ended in four defeats, against Accra Hearts of Oak, Okwahu United and, twice, Asante Kotoko. The one clean trophy on the shelf from that era is the Ghana Telecom Gala, won in 1997/98.

Tamale Stadium, known also as the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium and holding just over 21,000, is where they meet Tamale City FC in a derby that carries the weight of being the city's own fixture rather than a national one.

David Abagna is the name attached to the club now. Called the team's poster boy, he has already worn the Black Stars shirt and played at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.