Steadfast

Tamale lies at the centre of Ghana's Northern Region, and for years its football belonged to Real Tamale United, the club that gave the city its name in the national game. Steadfast Football Club came along in April 2016, founded by Haruna Iddrisu, then the Member of Parliament for Tamale South and a former Minister of Education.

Sporting CP paid €1.2 million for him in 2022; Leicester City took him on loan, won promotion to the Premier League with him in the side, then activated his buy clause outright. He plays for Ipswich Town now, having already appeared at a World Cup for Ghana. The sell-on clause alone brought Steadfast close to €7.9 million.

On the pitch, the club has had to settle for less. Runners-up to Real Tamale United in the 2020/21 Division One season, a Round of 32 finish in the MTN FA Cup the year after — no titles, no promotion yet to the Premier League. There was also a stretch spent outside the Division One League altogether after relegation, before Steadfast worked its way back up through the Northern Region's second tier.

Steadfast sit top of Zone One as the 2025/26 season plays out, pushing for a first promotion to the Premier League. Whatever comes of that push, the stadium they're fighting to return to holds 20,000.