0°C | Thursday November 13, 2025 
24 April 2025
The mighty Bears are close to finalising a return to the NRL in 2027.
It has been reported the ARL Commission has approved a $50 million bid for a Perth team to enter the NRL in 2027. This comes after the Western Australian government increased their offer to the NRL governing body, from the original $35 million over five years.
Just 20 days ago it looked like the bid was destined to join the graveyard of failed Bears bids, which included the Central Coast and regional NSW. The NRL was not satisfied with the WA Government’s level of investment, while Premier Roger Cook felt the NRL was taking the state for granted.
It’s not just the licence that will cost a pretty penny, with the WA government expected to inject $20 million to create a Rugby League Centre of Excellence, $35 million set to be invested in the game’s grassroots in the state, as well as a $200-million-plus redevelopment of Perth’s HBF Park.
It is important to note, under the suggested operational framework, the NRL would manage the team during its initial establishment phase. Following this start-up period, control of the organisation would be transferred to the club’s members and their elected board of directors. This means there are no assumed or reserved board spots for the North Sydney or WA side of the club.
The proposal will now be presented to the 17 current NRL clubs, expected to meet today (Thursday) for their official endorsement as the final stage.
The North Sydney Bears were a foundation club of the NSWRL in 1908 and spent 90 years in first grade. Yet, as the new millennium arrived, the club was struggling as the league tightened the number of Sydney clubs after the Super League/ARL merger. Norths looked set to relocate north to the Central Coast, where a brand new stadium had been built in Gosford. However, they never made it up the coast and, in 1999, the club was forced to merge with bitter local rivals, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, to form the Northern Eagles. The merger didn’t last long, with Manly pulling out after the 2002 season to return as the standalone Sea Eagles, while North Sydney was left without a club.
Perth also has a history in first grade, hosting the Western Reds from the 1995 to 1997 season. At the time, the ARL was looking to expand beyond NSW, adding the North Queensland Cowboys, South Queensland Crushers, Auckland Warriors and the Western Australian side. This expansion was subsequently thwarted by the 1997 Super League split, with WA going with the breakaway competition, only to be booted from the league after the merger.
