Inside Perth
Building for 2027
A roster before a rivalry.
Perth enter the NRL in 2027 and the football is arriving before everything else: 27 of a Top 30 signed, Mal Meninga installed as coach since June 2025, and a raid on the existing seventeen that has collected Corey Horsburgh, Morgan Smithies, Scott Sorensen and Liam Henry, among others. The structure is deliberately temporary. The ARLC is the sole voting member of Perth Bears Ltd for a five-year establishment period, covering running costs and charging no licence fee, with the WA Government committing $60 million over seven years. The name reaches back to North Sydney, whose records the new club does not inherit, which will not stop anybody feeling things about it. The wobbles so far are administrative: one general manager of football out in April and replaced in June, and the pursuit of Junior Paulo collapsing before Meninga went and met Horsburgh instead, the Telegraph reported.
- ARLC-controlled during establishment; voting rights can pass to members five years after the first game. WA's $60 million includes $35 million ring-fenced for development.
- Training base: the WACA and Waterbank, building for late 2026 with $12.9 million from WA; a $20 million Malaga centre at expression-of-interest stage.
Checked 21 August 2026 · Evidence medium
At a glance
- Following: 102,223 across 5 platforms
- Who owns the club: Perth Bears Limited, a not-for-profit company; the ARLC is its only voting member until a transition to member control
- Accounts we can see: None yet · joins the NRL 1 November 2026, first game 2027
- Training base: WACA Ground and Waterbank, East Perth · under construction for late 2026
- Head coach: Mal Meninga, appointed June 2025 for the club's establishment and first season
Ownership & Financials
- Perth Bears Limited is an Australian public company, ABN 88 686 848 242 and ACN 686 848 242, active from 6 May 2025 with its main business location in Perth WA 6000.
- The club is a membership-based, not-for-profit company that the WA Government says will be chaired by a Western Australian and controlled by members rather than a private company; during the establishment period the single member with voting rights is the ARLC, and supporter members hold no vote on the board or at the AGM.
- The establishment period runs five years from the club's first NRL game, after which voting rights can pass to ordinary members once transition criteria in the constitution covering on-field and off-field performance and sustainability are met.
- Under the ARLC–WA Government agreement the ARLC covers the costs of running the club and guarantees its financial viability, and charges no licence fee.
- The WA Government committed $60 million of temporary direct support over seven years from 2025/26, with $35 million ring-fenced for development including grassroots, plus $5.6 million for match-day support and marketing over the same period; every dollar is to be spent in Western Australia.
Following & Sponsorship
- Principal Partner: Cash Converters
- Premier Partner: Budget Direct
- Major Partners: Penrite Oil
- Major Partners: Atlas Building
- Major Partners: XFM
Leadership
- Anthony De Ceglie, Chief Executive Officer
- Gareth Holmes, General Manager of Football
- Ben Morton, chair
Football Department
- Mal Meninga, Head Coach
- Ben Gardiner, Assistant Coach
Facilities
- WACA Ground (Lillee Marsh Stand) and Waterbank training field, East Perth: The club's first home: an upgraded Lillee Marsh Stand for strength and conditioning, a wrestling room, sports medicine, change rooms and offices, and a professional training field at the nearby Waterbank site. Goalposts went in January 2026 and turf in February; the state appointed contractors for a June/July 2026 start, with the administration moving in and players training there from late 2026.
- Malaga Sports Precinct high-performance centre: A state-funded precinct in Perth's north-east intended to include a high-performance centre shared by rugby league and rugby union. Expressions of interest for Stage 1 construction partners opened 20 June 2025 with $20 million committed to concept design and site investigations; no construction start, opening date or club tenure has been published.
Pathways
- Perth's pathway is a Western Australian talent-identification academy for players aged 14 to 17, launched in April 2026, feeding into two east-coast systems: the North Sydney Bears as Primary Pathway Partner and NSWRL Representative Teams Partner, and the Brisbane Tigers as a Queensland affiliate. The club fields no junior representative, reserve-grade or women's team of its own, and no women's pathway has been announced.
- The Perth Bears Tracks Academy launched on 8 April 2026 as an invitation-only program for Western Australian players aged 14 to 17, selected with NRL WA and led by Elite Pathways Manager Ian Millward; the club said WA participation in the 13–15 age group rose 23% year on year.
- On 24 November 2025 the club signed an agreement making the North Sydney Bears its Primary Pathway Partner and NSWRL Representative Teams Partner, with North Sydney's junior representative programs serving as a pipeline to the NRL exclusively through Perth.
- On 26 November 2025 the club announced an affiliation partnership with the Brisbane Tigers of the Queensland Hostplus Cup.
- No women's team, women's academy or NRLW plan for Perth has been announced as at August 2026.
Sources
Perth: squad and cap · Every club, inside · Tell us we’re wrong