 | ||
| Club information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Perth Bears Rugby League Club[1] | |
| Nickname | The Bears | |
| Colours | Primary Red Black Secondary White | |
| Founded | 2025 | |
| Website | perthbears.com.au | |
| Current details | ||
| Grounds |
| |
| CEO | Anthony De Ceglie | |
| Coach | Mal Meninga | |
| Competition | National Rugby League | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
ThePerth Bears are a planned professionalrugby league football club to be based inPerth,Western Australia that is scheduled to enter theexpandedNational Rugby League (NRL) in 2027.
The club has links to theNorth Sydney Bears, a foundation club that exited the NRL in 1999 when it merged with theManly Warringah Sea Eagles to form theNorthern Eagles.
The original Western Bears bid was rejected by the NRL in October 2024. However, in April 2025, after initially putting negotiations on hold, the NRL entered negotiations with theGovernment of Western Australia, and on 8 May 2025, an agreement was reached to admit the Bears into the competition in 2027 as the Perth Bears.[2]
The team's colours are the traditional red and black of North Sydney, with white added as a secondary colour.[3]
There had been no elite rugby league team inPerth since theWestern Reds folded in 1997,[4] leaving Perth as the largest Australian city without a team in the NRL competition. Advocates for a Perth-based team had argued it was necessary for the NRL to consider itself a truly national competition.
The Reds name was revived in 2006 as theWA Reds, competing in the third-tier Bundaberg Red Cup (nowRon Massey Cup) with the intention of eventually fielding an NRL side. The team was rebranded as theWest Coast Pirates in 2012[5] due to the Reds brand being associated with failure[6] and competed in theS.G. Ball Cup until theCOVID-19 pandemic prevented them from being able to compete from 2020 onwards.[7]
After the end of the Northern Eagles joint venture in 2002, the Bears initially attempted to return to the NRL on the New South Wales Central Coast,[8] but later the bid was expanded to include other regional centres.[9] Other Bears bids included a takeover of theGold Coast Titans[10] and a Pasifika bid.[11]
A consortium of Western Australian businessmen had indicated they were always prepared to go it alone and resurrect the previous Reds moniker in an effort to get a team back in the top-flight competition[12] as they wanted to ensure the team was under the control and ownership of Western Australia[12] in preference to a relocated Sydney team.[12]
The consortium were advised by the NRL that their highly preferred model was an alignment with the North Sydney Bears. Talks were held with the Bears and alsoNewtown Jets, however the later pulled out of talks when John Singleton declared the Bears were always going to be the partner.[12]
In August 2024, the North Sydney Bears and the Western Australian consortium headed byCash Converters founders the Cumins family, signed off on an agreement to lodge an application for the Western Bears to enter a team in the 2027 NRL season.[13][14]
In October 2024, theAustralian Rugby League Commission rejected the Western Bears consortium proposal, stating the $20 million bid fell short of its expectations.[15][16]
In November 2024, the NRL announced it could soon officially announce the Western Bears as the competition's 18th team following urgent talks between ARLC chairmanPeter V'landys and the Western Australian Government. Despite the NRL having rejected a Perth-based consortium's proposal the previous month for falling short of the financial requirements, the NRL held constructive talks with the West Australian Government about an expansion team in Perth.[17]
Having previously announcedPapua New Guinea as its eighteenth team, in April 2025, the NRL had originally put negotiations on hold, deciding to postpone the introduction of a 19th team.[18]
However, on 24 April 2025, the NRL agreed to a $50 million deal with the Western Australian Government, thereby securing the 2027 return of the Bears.[19]
Under the terms of the final agreement with the ARLC, the WA government has committed to spending a total of $85.6 million, including $35 million on grassroots rugby league over the next seven years, with the remaining $50 million consisting of $25 million on content over the next five years, $5.6 million to help with the costs of the new team, and $20 million to be committed to a Centre of Excellence.
The WA government will not pay a licence fee, with a promise being made that there will be a likely upgrade of their home ground, theHBF Park.[19]
To the joy of fans on two coasts, on May 08 the team was officially confirmed to the public as recipients of an NRL license. The NRL renamed theWestern Bears as thePerth Bears, in order to give the 18th team a bona fide geographical link to the region in which they will be based and remove all links to the previous bid.[20][21]
It was announced on 6 June 2025, that rugby league immortal and iconMal Meninga would become the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears come their debut in 2027.[22] Meninga has agreed to take the reins for at least the 2027 and 2028 seasons, but with the more immediate focus of building the club, and the roster, from the ground up.
In late September, 2025, it was announced that Australian insurance companyBudget Direct would be the team's first major sponsor, with the deal equating to $1 million.[23] This was also combined with the announcement that the Queensland Cup sideBrisbane Tigers and French rugby league teamCatalans Dragons would also sign partnerships with the team, acting as a funnel to the expansion side.[24]
On 1 December 2025,New Balance was named as the on-and-off field apparel supplier for the club. The Perth Bears are the first NRL club to partner with the global sports brand.[25]
On 2 December 2025,halfbackToby Sexton andEngland internationalcentreHarry Newman were confirmed as the club's first official signings.[26]
On 14 December 2025, the Bears announced their major jersey sponsor would beCash Converters, who was originally a major backer for the private Western Bears bid which collapsed in late 2024.[27] The announcement gave a major boost to the Bears financial preparations to join the league, and further strengthened their financial viability. The sponsorship deal is also reminiscent of the Western Reds, which were also sponsored by the company.[28]
On 14 January 2026, the Bears formally released the club’s new insignia, showing a roaring Bear in the club’s traditional red and black colours.[29]
The team's primary colours will be the traditional red and black of North Sydney, with white being the club's secondary colour since the 1992 NSWRL season.
In January 2026, the Bears unveiled their logo in anticipation of their inaugural 2027 NRL season. The logo shows a roaring Bear in the club’s traditional red and black colours. It pays homage and respect to the North Sydney Bears, while embracing the club’s future in Western Australia. It was created by longtime passionate North Sydney Bears supporter and graphic designer Dave Carnovale. On the design, Carnovale said he wanted to create a responsible evolution using the Bears DNA.[30]
The majority of Bears home games are to be played atHBF Park. The proposal is for the stadium to be used not only for league purposes as a home base, but shared with soccer'sPerth Glory and rugby union'sWestern Force.
With the support of theGovernment of Western Australia, being firm backers of the Bears, a grant of $300 million was pledged to upgrade the venue even further if a licence was granted to a Perth team.[31]
The club may also play one NRL home game each year at eitherNorth Sydney Oval,Central Coast Stadium or theSydney Football Stadium in recognition of the club's Sydney supporter base. The match is proposed to be against arch-rivals theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles.[32] Further, one pre-season game is proposed to be played at North Sydney Oval each year however cricket use may result in that being transferred to Gosford at the stadium the Bears built in 1999.[32]
| Player | Previous club | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 Toby Sexton |  Catalans Dragons | 2 Years | 2 December 2025[33] |
 Harry Newman |  Leeds Rhinos | 2 Years | 2 December 2025[34] |
| Luke Smith |  London Broncos | 2 Years | 3 December 2025[35] |
 Emarly Bitungane | London Broncos | 2 Years | 3 December 2025[36] |
| Liam Henry |  Penrith Panthers | 4 Years | 10 December 2025[37] |
| Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui | Catalans Dragons | 2 Years | 10 December 2025[38] |
| Sean Russell |  Parramatta Eels | 4 Years | 24 December 2025[39] |
| Josh Curran |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 3 Years | 7 January 2026[40] |
| Tyran Wishart |  Melbourne Storm | 5 Years | 10 January 2026[41] |
| Nick Meaney | Melbourne Storm | 3 Years | 10 January 2026[42] |
| James McDonnell | Leeds Rhinos | 2 Years | 12 January 2026[43] |
 Chris Vea'ila |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2 Years | 12 January 2026[44] |
| Luke Laulilii |  Wests Tigers | 2 Years | 16 January 2026[45] |
The Bears and Western Australia are widely supported for re-admission into the NRL by players and fans alike. Evidence can be seen in the growth and proliferation of fan sites, such as the Perth Bears Supporters page, The NRL Perth Bears Crew and The Cave, all comprising predominantly Western Australian followers. They complement traditional North Sydney Bears fan sites such as the Yass and Countrywide site, and The Den site. Although the first bid was rejected, Perth-born players in particular remain supportive of Western Australia competing in the NRL once again.[46]
The WA Government have strongly and financially backed this team and could have had the potential to have a support base of over 200,000 fans both in Western Australia and across theNorth Shore of Sydney and surrounds.[47]
The North Sydney Bears will remain in theNSW Cup and shall act as a feeder team to the Bears.[48][49]
The Bears have also struck a feeder-club alliance with theBrisbane Tigers in theQueensland Cup as the NRL’s 18th franchise looks to expand its brand to Queensland.[50]
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