In early years, Ranheim played in the
Norwegian top flight in the seasons; 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40 and 1947–48, as well as in the seasons; 1949–50, 1952–53, 1954–55 and 1955–56.
Since 2006, Ranheim has acted as a
farm club for
Rosenborg, where the goal has been to establish a football team from
Trøndelag in the
1. divisjon. Ranheim came close to qualifying in
2007 and
2008. Former manager
Per Joar Hansen earned Ranheim a promotion to the
1. divisjon after the
2009 season. They played their first 6 home matches at Abrahallen, and on 10 July 2010, they moved to their new stadium,
EXTRA Arena.[1] Ranheim finished 5th in the
2010 1. divisjon and qualified for the promotion play-offs for a place in the Tippeligaen.[2]
In the 2017 season, Ranheim gained promotion to the top level for the first time since 1955–56 after beating
Sogndal. Over two legs, they first lost 1–0 away and went on to win 1–0 at home. After two scoreless periods of extra time they secured promotion by winning 5–4 on penalties.[3] Ranheim finished the 2018 season in 7th place, and head coach
Svein Maalen received the Eliteserien Coach of the Year award for this accomplishment.[4] In the following
2019 season, the club finished 16th and last and were relegated.