NRL, WA government strike $85 million funding deal for grassroots investment, Centre of Excellence
The final impediment to the return of the Bears has been cleared with the NRL and West Australian government agreeing to terms on a funding deal for an 18th team in Perth.
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The final impediment to the return of the Bears has been cleared with the NRL and West Australian government agreeing to terms on an $85 million funding deal for an 18th team in Perth.
This masthead can reveal the NRL and WA government held a decisive round of negotiations during Magic Round over the weekend 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 multi-faceted funding strategy for the NRL’s newest club.
It is understood 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.
Having agreed to terms on the level of funding, the NRL and WA chiefs will now discuss how the money will be distributed to ensure the new Perth franchise is a competitive force in its embryonic years.
The parties are in the advanced stages of signing off on expansion documentation with a view to a formal announcement this week after the completion of Magic Round.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo is expected to fly to Perth to shake hands with WA premier Roger Cook for the official unveiling of the franchise that will give the code a legitimate national footprint.
Underlining the feel-good story of the Bears, Magic Round at Suncorp has witnessed scores of fans in North Sydney jumpers as diehard fans celebrate the imminent return of the foundation club after 26 years in the NRL wilderness.
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys is confident the Perth deal will be formalised, labelling the joint venture a huge coup for the NRL.
“The Bears deal is not finalised yet, but 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.”
Those strategies include the NRL targeting rugby union in South Africa and Argentina to provide fresh talent supply chains for the Bears and Papua New Guinea, who enter as the 19th team in 2028.
“They are genuine targets absolutely,” V’landys said.
“Look at the rugby union player for the Roosters, Mark Nawaqanitawase (Wallabies convert) has been amazing.
“He will bring people to the game and converts take some time to adjust to the sport, but he has been successful after three or four games.
“If he is an example of what we can get out of rugby union, especially out of South Africa and Argentina, absolutely we will look at that region.”
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Originally published as NRL, WA government strike $85 million funding deal for grassroots investment, Centre of Excellence
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