Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 31, 2026

Perth Bears

The Perth Bears are a planned professional rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia that is scheduled to enter the expanded National Rugby League (NRL) competition in 2027.

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May 31, 2026
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 Perth Bears 
Club information
Full namePerth Bears Limited1
Nicknamethe Bears
ColoursPrimary
  Red
  Black
Secondary
  White
Founded20251
Websiteperthbears.com.au
Current details
Ground
CEOAnthony De Ceglie
ChairmanBen Morton
CoachMal Meninga
CompetitionNational Rugby League (2027)

The Perth Bears are a planned professional rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia that is scheduled to enter the expanded National Rugby League (NRL) competition in 2027.

Since 2024, the club has direct developmental links to the North Sydney Bears, a foundation club that exited the NRL in 1999 when it merged with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to form the Northern Eagles. Perth's team colours are the traditional red and black of North Sydney, with white added as a secondary colour.2

An 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 the Government 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.3

History

1990s: Early bids

There had been no elite-level national rugby league team in Western Australia (WA) since the Western Reds (1995–96) defected to the rival Super League one-season competition, where they rebranded themselves as the Perth Reds in 1997.4 The Reds' name was revived in 2006 as the "WA Reds", competing in the third-tier Bundaberg Red Cup (now Ron Massey Cup) in New South Wales (NSW). In 2012, the team rebranded as the West Coast Pirates;5 due to the Reds brand being associated with failure.6 The West Coast Pirates played junior rugby league in the NSW S.G. Ball Cup until the COVID-19 pandemic prevented interstate travel from 2020 onwards.7

In August 2024, a consortium of WA businessmen were prepared to independently resurrect the previous Reds moniker to get a team back into the national competition.8 However, they wanted the team to be Western Australian controlled and owned, as opposed to being a relocated Sydney team.8 The NRL's highly preferred model was an alignment with the North Sydney Bears. Talks were held with NSW clubs the North Sydney Bears and the Newtown Jets, however the latter pulled out of talks when Australian entrepreneur John Singleton stated that the North Sydney Bears were always intended to be the partner.8

2024—2025: Expansion process

In August 2024, the North Sydney Bears and a Western Australian consortium headed by Cash Converters founders jointly lodged an application for the "Western Bears" to enter a team ahead of the 2027 NRL season.910 The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) rejected this proposal in October, stating that the $20 million bid fell short of its expectations.1112 Urgent talks were held in November between the Western Australian Government and ARLC chairman Peter V'landys about an expansion team in Perth.13 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.14

Under the terms of the final agreement with the ARLC, the WA government 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, Perth Rectangular Stadium (HBF Park).14 The NRL subsequently renamed the "Western Bears" to the "Perth Bears" in order to give the team a bona fide geographical link to the region in which they will be based and remove all links to the previous bid.315

Inaugural preparations

In June 2025, Mal Meninga was named as the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears for the 2027 and 2028 NRL seasons, with the immediate focus of promoting the club and building the team roster.16 Ben Gardiner signed a five-year contract, initially as assistant coach and then as head coach from 2029 onwards.17

In September, Tier-2 Queensland Cup side the Brisbane Tigers and British Super League team the Catalans Dragons in France agreed to act as a funnel to the new Perth NRL club.18 Australian insurance company Budget Direct were announced as the team's first major sponsor.19 On 1 December, New Balance was named as both on-field and off-field apparel supplier.20 Within two weeks, the Bears announced their major jersey sponsor would be Cash Converters—a major backer for the private "Western Bears" bid which collapsed in late 2024.2122

In April 2026, the Perth Bears "Tracks" Academy at the Western Australian Institute of Sport was launched to source and develop local junior talent.23

Logo and colours

In January 2026, the Perth Bears unveiled their logo, created by a North Sydney Bears supporter, in anticipation of their inaugural season in 2027.23 It shows a roaring Bear in the club's traditional red and black colours. The Perth Bear's primary colours will be the traditional red and black of North Sydney, with white serving as the club's secondary colour.

Stadium

HBF Park is the proposed home of the Perth Bears.24 source ↗

The majority of the Perth Bears rugby league home games from 2027 onwards are planned to be played at Perth Rectangular Stadium (HBF Park), a ground also used by soccer's Perth Glory and rugby union's Western Force.24 In August 2024, the government of Western Australia pledged a $300 million grant to further upgrade HBF Park if an NRL licence was granted to a Perth team.25

Due to its recent North Sydney Bears association, the Perth Bears may possibly play one NRL home game each year at either North Sydney Oval, Central Coast Stadium or the Sydney Football Stadium. This particular match is proposed to be against North Sydney's former NRL arch-rivals, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.26 If North Sydney Oval is being used for cricket, the proposed Bears match may be transferred to Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, which was built by the North Sydney Bears in 1999.26

Players

2027 signings

List of inaugural signings, with player name, previous club, contract length, and announcement date shown
Player name Previous club Contract length Date Ref.
Australia Toby Sexton Catalans Dragons 2 years 2 December 2025 27
England Harry Newman Leeds Rhinos 2 years 2 December 2025 27
Australia Luke Smith London Broncos 2 years 3 December 2025 28
Tanzania Emarly Bitungane London Broncos 2 years 3 December 2025 28
Australia Liam Henry Penrith Panthers 4 years 10 December 2025 29
Australia Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui Catalans Dragons 2 years 10 December 2025 29
Australia Sean Russell Parramatta Eels 4 years 24 December 2025 30
Australia Josh Curran Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3 years 7 January 2026 31
Australia Tyran Wishart Melbourne Storm 5 years 10 January 2026 32
Australia Nick Meaney Melbourne Storm 3 years 10 January 2026 32
England James McDonnell Leeds Rhinos 2 years 12 January 2026 33
New Zealand Chris Vea'ila Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2 years 12 January 2026 33
Australia Luke Laulilii Wests Tigers 2 years 16 January 2026 34
New Zealand Scott Sorensen Penrith Panthers 2 years 25 February 2026 35
Tonga Siosifa Talakai Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 3 years 27 February 2026 36
Poland Mikołaj Olędzki Leeds Rhinos 3 years 17 March 2026 37
New Zealand Te Hurinui Twidle Parramatta Eels 3 years 1 May 2026 38
Australia Kit Laulilii Wests Tigers 2 years 1 May 2026 38
Australia Jamie Humphreys South Sydney Rabbitohs 2 years 15 May 2026 3940

Feeder clubs

The North Sydney Bears will remain in the second-tier NSW Cup and act as a feeder club to the Bears.241 A feeder-club alliance with the Brisbane Tigers in the Queensland Cup has also been secured.42

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Current details for ABN 88 686 848 242". Australian Business Register. 6 May 2025. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  2. Carayannis, Michael; Badel, Peter; Read, Brent (21 August 2024). "Western Bears, NRL's newest team, reveals colours, home ground and North Sydney Oval plans". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  3. Read, Brent; Badel, Peter; Carayannis, Michael (8 May 2025). "Peter V'landys' warning to AFL as NRL and Perth Bears prepare for turf war in Western Australia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  4. Mee, Cameron (15 August 2024). "Hunt backs Perth bid to unlock talent pipeline". National Rugby League. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  5. Quartermain, Glen (27 June 2012). "Introducing West Coast Pirates – Western Australia Rugby League announce name and logo of NRL bid". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  6. "Pirates hoist NRL expansion flag". Sporting News Australia. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  7. Crowe, Tony (20 December 2020). "Pirates Under 19 Competition in 2021". West Coast Pirates. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  8. Carayannis, Michael; Badel, Peter; Read, Brent (9 August 2024). "Western Bears set for NRL inclusion after North Sydney, WA bid team sign historic agreement". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  9. Fox League (9 August 2024). "NRL's newest franchise set to be formally announced... as details including logo revealed". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  10. Quartermain, Glen (9 August 2024). "West Australian consortium stands its ground on control of new NRL team". The West Australian. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  11. Badel, Peter; Carayannis, Michael; Read, Brent (8 October 2024). "NRL 2024: Western Bears expansion bid formally rejected by Peter Vlandys and ARL Commission". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  12. Chammas, Michael (21 November 2024). "The WA premier and $500m came to Sydney. The Perth Bears dream is alive and well". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  13. Fox League (22 November 2024). "NRL inch closer to possible Perth Bears expansion amid resumed talks with WA government". news.com.au. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  14. Badel, Peter; Read, Brent; Carayannis, Michael (24 April 2025). "NRL agrees $50m deal with Western Australian government to seal the return of the Bears". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  15. Badel, Peter; Read, Brent; Carayannis, Michael (25 April 2025). "NRL set to scrap "Western Bears" name for new Perth team". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  16. "Mal Meninga appointed coach of Perth Bears". National Rugby League. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  17. "Ben Gardiner to be Perth Bears assistant coach". National Rugby League. 19 June 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  18. Gould, Joel (24 September 2025). "Perth Bears take NRL to France with dollars and sense". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 24 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  19. Perth Bears (24 September 2025). "Perth Bears announce record breaking partnership deal". National Rugby League. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  20. Perth Bears (1 December 2025). "Perth Bears make history with New Balance". National Rugby League. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  21. "Perth Bears mega partnership with Cash Converters sets new sports benchmark". Perth Bears. 14 December 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  22. Walter, Brad (8 May 2025). "More than 25 years after Reds, Perth is ready for a new team". National Rugby League. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  23. Perth Bears (14 January 2026). "Perth Bears unveil logo ahead of 2027 NRL debut". National Rugby League. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  24. Mee, Cameron (8 April 2026). ""Lightning in a bottle": Bears unveil lofty goal as NRL descends on Perth". National Rugby League. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  25. Burnett, Jamie (12 August 2024). "Exclusive: HBF Park Set for upgrade with Western Bears set to become Perth's NRL team". 6PR. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  26. Walsh, Dan (11 August 2024). "There's a bear in there:will NRL's foundation club truly live on in Perth bid?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  27. "Toby Sexton and Harry Newman set to join Perth Bears in 2027". Perth Bears. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  28. "Exciting prospects Emarly Bitungane and Luke Smith sign with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  29. "Liam Henry and Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui sign with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  30. "Sean Russell signs with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  31. "Josh Curran signs with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  32. "Tyran Wishart and Nick Meaney sign with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  33. "James McDonnell and Chris Vea'ila sign with". Perth Bears. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  34. "Luke Laulilii sign with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 16 January 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  35. "Four-time premiership winner Scott Sorensen signs with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  36. "Siosifa Talakai signs with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  37. "England international Mikolaj Oledzki signs with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  38. "Boom youngsters Te Hurinui "Apa" Twidle and Kit Laulilii sign with Perth Bears". Perth Bears. 1 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  39. Murdock, Magdalena (15 May 2026). "Perth Bears lock in star player". Zero Tackle. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  40. Carayannis, Michael (16 May 2026). "Warriors move to lock down key spine piece after Luke Metcalf exit". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. Tedeschi, Nick (15 August 2024). "Western Bears can thrive in Perth as NRL learn lessons from darker times". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  42. Badel, Peter (24 September 2025). "Perth Bears secure record sponsorship deal, close in on deal with feeder-club Brisbane Tigers". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
External links