NRL, WA, lock in deal for Perth Bears’ to become NRL’s 18th team
Daily Telegraph
Brent Read, Peter Badel and Michael Carayannis
6 May 7:55pm
The deal is done: ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and WA premier Roger Cook reach agreement for Perth Bears to enter the NRL in 2027.
Done deal. The Perth Bears are alive and kicking.
This masthead can reveal the ARL Commission has formally struck an $85 million deal with the West Australian government for the Perth Bears to become the NRL’s 18th team.
After months of seesawing negotiations, ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo have reached agreement with WA premier Roger Cook, paving the way for the Perth Bears to enter the Telstra Premiership in 2027.
The parties have formally agreed to terms over the past 48 hours.
It is understood V’landys and Abdo are expected to fly to WA on Wednesday ahead of a formal announcement in Perth on Thursday.
Barring an eleventh-hour change of plans, the unveiling of a historic joint venture between Perth and the North Sydney Bears will take place at HBF Stadium – the new franchise’s home ground.
The birth of the Perth Bears will be the preamble to V’landys and Abdo kicking off TV rights negotiations in the coming weeks for a 19-team league that will welcome Papua New Guinea in 2028.
After decades of false starts and broken hearts, it’s now official: foundation club the Bears are back after 26 years in the NRL wilderness.
The final impediment to the Bears’ resurrection was cleared during Magic Round when the NRL and WA government chiefs found common ground over funding demands.
The NRL and WA government held a decisive round of negotiations to thrash out a funding model for the Perth Bears franchise.
The ARL Commission had agreed in-principle last week to press ahead with expansion to Perth, on the proviso the WA government would be forthcoming with a multifaceted funding strategy for the NRL’s newest club.
The latest instalment of talks were successful, with the NRL and WA government agreeing to a $65m deal for grassroots investment, plus a further $20m injection for a Perth-based Centre of Excellence.
Work will also commence on a $200 million-plus upgrade of HBF Stadium as part of the NRL’s desire for the ground to be Perth’s version of Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium.
An eastern-seaboard sport for more than a century, the Perth Bears now give the NRL a bona fide national footprint to challenge the AFL as Australia’s No. 1 code.
V’landys and Abdo did not return calls on Tuesday night but the ARLC boss told this masthead in an exclusive interview during Magic Round that the Perth Bears would be an NRL force.
“The euphoria I have seen has been extraordinary,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to bring the Bears back.
“There’s a lot of people who support the Bears and they have a ready-made supporter base. They have the pathways with their juniors and it’s a perfect marriage if it happens with Perth.
“It could be one of the real success stories of the future.
“Perth is a goldmine for the NRL.
“It has enormous potential. It gives us a national footprint to a degree and the time zone works really well with our global and expansion strategies.”
Now alive and kicking as a club, the next crucial step for the Perth Bears is formalising their foundation coach to lead a bold new era for rugby league in 2027.
Former Eels mentor Brad Arthur is the preferred candidate for the post but Sam Burgess has also revealed his interest in coaching the Perth Bears.
Other coaching candidates include Jason Demetriou, Justin Holbrook and Josh Hannay, the current Sharks and Queensland Origin assistant to Billy Slater.
North Sydney director Billy Moore, who played 211 games for the club from 1989-99, declared the Perth Bears would be competitive from day one.
“To be honest, there were days when I wondered if we would ever be back, but to think the red and black will be back in the NRL in 2027, it’s a historic moment for rugby league,” he said.
“This is not a shotgun wedding. One hundred per cent we can make it work.
“I have one word for this franchise – juggernaut.
“I believe within 10 years of entering the NRL, we will be in the top five clubs across all metrics, from crowds, to ratings, to junior base, to corporate support and performance.
“This will work. This will be big. The Perth Bears will be a juggernaut. There’s two histories but one future. There’s two cities but one team.
“I have no doubt this will be a success for the NRL.”
