Western Australia premier Roger Cook has revealed the details of the heavily-anticipated NRL expansion team based in Perth, although it is not yet certain whether the new franchise will join the competition in 2027 or 2028.
Cook said the deal will cost WA taxpayers $60m over seven years in “direct financial support” and another $5.6m in matchday and marketing assistance.
“We’ve worked hard to secure this deal, and we took a strong negotiating position,” he said in a video posted to social media.
According to Cook, the club will be a membership-based, not-for-profit entity chaired by a Western Australian and the government funding will not be funnelled to other NRL clubs.
“Every dollar of direct financial support provided by the WA government will be spent in Western Australia,” he said. “The NRL will not charge the club a licence fee.”
The federal government committed $600m to the PNG franchise, including a $60m fee provided to the NRL that the governing body pledged to share with the clubs.
Cook said the Perth team would deliver a “return for taxpayers”.
“Not only will this be great news for sports fans, it’s great news for our economy and great news for jobs,” he said.
The premier’s message raised questions over when the team will join the competition however, with previous speculation focused on entry in the 2027 season.
Cook said the new club will compete in the NRL “for the first time in 2027 or 2028”.
The NRL’s existing broadcast deal expires at the end of the 2027 season.
The side is expected to be linked to the former first grade club North Sydney, but Cook made no mention of the Bears.
North Sydney Bears board member and former player Billy Moore said the team would definitely be known as the Bears and it would be “bicoastal” with “the Perth DNA and the Bears DNA”.
He promised more information would be released in coming days.
“It’s going to be the Perth Bears, so I’m happy for them to get excited, because they’ve been waiting since 1997 when the [Western] Reds got removed, because the lights will move to the east coast tomorrow,” he said.
“They’re putting forward a lot of money, and Roger Cook, I applaud his passion for making it happen.”
Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen – who will be out of contract by the time the Perth side enters the competition – said travel would be “tough” for players, but the WA team will become a draw.
“There’s also an appeal that it’s a foundation club, you don’t get many opportunities to do that, so I don’t think it’d be too big of an issue to attract players,” he said.
