
Background: The Western Reds were a rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1992 as the Western Reds, they entered into the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995 before defecting to the rival Super League competition in 1997, where they rebranded themselves as the Perth Reds. However, by the end of the year the Reds had become a casualty of the Super League War peace deal and were shut down.
On February 12, 2020 it was announced that Peter Cumins, a leading WA businessman, would head the newest consortium aimed at getting a Perth NRL license off the ground. The executive deputy chairman of Cash Converters, Cumins was part of the bid team which met with then-NRL chief executive David Gallop in the hope of securing a licence a decade ago.
Both Cumins and NRL WA chair John Sackson pointed to the full backing of the WA government and the availability of HBF Stadium as reasons why a new team would be more successful than the Reds, who entered a 20-team competition in 1995 but were axed after the Super League season of 1997.
“There is no question that the financial modelling of the Western Reds was flawed,” Sackson said. “There’s an argument that arises quite often that the Western Reds failed, so rugby league will fail in the west.
“What people have to understand is there are a number of reasons why the Reds eventually folded here.
- “Firstly, it was an unsustainable business model. There were the inflated player payments during the time of the Super League civil war versus the establishment. That put player payments through the roof.
- “The Western Reds had to pay for the incoming teams, coming into Perth – they had to pay for flights and accommodation for teams and then they had to fly them home.
- “We had to field a reserve grade team and fly them out here and home. That added up. It was an extraordinary cost.”
In 2024, with expansion firmly on its mind, the NRL again began looking in earnest westward, with Perth firming as a front runner for expansion alongside Papua New Guinea in 2028-2029.
On February 5th, 2024 Vlandys told the Telegraph that he was continually being asked when the Bears were returning to the league.
“Everywhere I go, that always the question … when are you bringing back the Bears? I didn’t realise they had so many old fans,” V’landys said. “They’ve got to be in the equation. They can’t be stand-alone in Sydney because there’s too many already. However, they can certainly be part of a new team, whether it be in Perth, the Pacific, wherever. They’re so passionate and you want that.”
“It makes sense that we bring them back in some capacity, because they’ve got 200,000 members. That’s important,” V’landys said.
The Bears have welcomed ARLC chairman Peter V’landys’ revelation that they could return to the NRL, but the foundation club has four non-negotiables.
“Two, ideally four games to be at North Sydney Oval, the colours and the logo,” Dickson said.
Im May, 2024, Vlandys said that the Perth bears was the ideal parternship, saying there was no way that Norths could stand on their own due to the number of teams in Sydney.
On May 14, Cummins told SEN Perth that all the bid needs is some certainty, but they’d prefer to go sooner than later.
“As long as we have some clear direction and we’ve got the confidence to go full steam ahead, a long leading time wouldn’t be unhelpful.
“Our preference is to go sooner rather than later. If there’s certainty, we can wait and that’s really been the issue for us, is the uncertainty, if we’ve got certainty we can start to build pathways for our juniors, we can start to recruit players to come into Western Australia that wants to get on to the roster for a couple years from now. We can start doing a lot of prep work and get ourselves in a strong position.”
When asked if his consortium would accept a return on the basis of a joint venture with either the Newtown Jets or North Sydney Bears, Cummins responded: “You’re probably aware that Western Australians are very parochial, on the basis of that we feel the best result would be a Western Australian team exclusively.”
“Having said that, because we’ve been patiently waiting for such a long time, if it was a requirement to have a coalition with the Bears or the Newtown Jets or somebody we’d look at it seriously. Our preference is a standalone team, but we wouldn’t discount dealing or doing something with the Bears if it was the best result for Western Australia.”
On May 18th, Vlandys told AAP that the Perth bid was looking very good
“I’m taking an AVO out on (Western Australia Premier Roger Cook). He rings me every day asking to put a Perth team in. Their bid is looking very, very good and maybe PNG isn’t the bid that is first,” V’landys said. “There are also some very good bidders in Perth, Christchurch and here in Brisbane. It is far from a final decision. All the bids are fantastic.”
Vlandys also noted that a Bears association wasnt a requirement, but could be an advantage.
“It would certainly help their bid because the Bears have got a strong supporter base. They have also got the feeder system and juniors so it makes sense for Perth to look at that proposal.
On May 21st, the WA minister for sport told Parliament that Perth should be seriously considered for an NRLlicense. The Government did not seek to be the owner, bit would be open to negotiations on how they could facilitate a team.

On June 12, News Limited reported that support for Perth to link up with the Newtown Jets continues to grow despite speculation that North Sydney had a near guarantee that they would be part of any new side in Western Australia.
While the Bears link has dominated talk there is some reluctance at the Western Australian government level to join forces with North Sydney. Instead, it was reported that Newtown have been quietly building their own case in the background and have forged strong relationships with the powerbrokers in Western Australia.
On June 12, Cumins told Nine media that while the consortiums preference was a standalone team, and the Bears wasnt particularly relevant in Perth – however theyd look at it if it made commercial sense.
“The consortium I head up, our preferred option is to go a standalone West Australian team, based on the fact West Australians are very parochial. And without being rude about the history of the North Sydney Bears, it doesn’t have a lot of relevance to people in Perth. We want a team where all the players reside in Perth and the players who are not in the NRL side play in the local competition. But I’m a commercial animal, and if the case is compelling, you’d be silly not to consider it.”
It was also reported that Nick Politis has been approached to advise the Perth consortium through the final weeks of the bid process, which will include talks with the Bears.
The Bears confirmed they had met witrh the NRL on June 14th

On June 20, it was being reported that Perth were likely to get the 18th license ahead of PNG. A Perth team now looks likely to enter the national competition in 2027 or 2028, before Papua New Guinea. Cumins has confirmed he will meet with potential suitors North Sydney Bears and Newtown Jets in Sydney next week “to talk about a possible marriage” before putting forward an official bid.
On July 2, it was reported that the Jets were out of the running. In a cryptic text from the US John Singleton said, “Mate, Newtown out of Perth bid. Too many games being played by Norths and WA government.”
The SMH reported that Singleton took issue with several facets of the joint-bid, including the number of junior rugby leagye players in Western Australia as well as the level of financial backing and TV viewers touted by the WA government and the Perth expansion club’s preferred owner, Peter Cummins.
In October, it was revealed that the Cumins led license bid had failed to impress NRL headquarters as V’landys revealed their bid fell “significantly short” when it came to the NRL’s financial requirements with the ARL Commission reportedly holding concerns around the Western Bears’ multimillion-dollar licence fee.
The proposal spectacularly unravelled over a decision not to offer a license fee, at a time when head office was seeking a figure of about $20 million. The NRL also felt blindsided by the decision to include Sydney Kings part-owner Paul Smith and former NRL executive Paul Kind in the ownership group.
Cumins expressed disappointment and frustration.
“Disappointed would be an understatement, and we’ve spent a lot of money for nothing,” Cumins said.“The frustration from our point of view is there has never been a licence fee paid by any club in the NRL, including the Dolphins. The Dolphins have been going for 75 years with $100 million worth of real estate and they’ve got all the facilities they need.
“We’re a start-up in an AFL state, so our start-up costs are massive. There’s a $16 million burn before you even kick a football. “We’re bringing new eyeballs to the game to help with negotiating broadcast rights, new sponsorship dollars because we’re not competing with east coast sponsors. None of it commercially made any sense [to offer a substantial licence fee], which is why we elected not to.”
The Herald reported that head office had reassured the North Sydney Bears that they will be included in the venture in some form, a move that will revive the foundation club’s name and heritage.
“The Bears will be there,” V’landys told News Corp. “We are trying to do a deal with the WA Government which includes the Bears. So the Bears are not affected by this. That is a fallacy that is going around that the Bears are dead. No they are not. It is far from it. I called (Bears chairman) Daniel Dickson and explained that to him – that if we do a deal directly with government, it will include the Bears.”
In late October it was reported in the Financial Review that Peter V’landys’ ambitious plan to expand the NRL into Perth has hit another hurdle, with the West Australian government rejecting an initial request to inject millions of dollars into grassroots rugby league.
Anonymous government officials said that said the NRL had asked for approximately $12 million in annual funding for the next decade.
The WA government confirmed it had rejected the NRL’s initial funding request but would not discuss the figure proposed by the rugby league body. It is still offering to upgrade HBF Stadium and build a high-performance facility.
On November 2, News Limited reported that Queensland loomed as a genuine option for expansion if Perth didnt get up, hower Vlandys insisted that the Perth bid wasnt dead.
“Another Queensland team is something we have never ruled out so, yes, that’s still a possibility,” V’landys said. “I’m still confident the Perth Bears will go ahead but if not, all options are on the table and that includes a Queensland team.
On November 21, 2024 it was reported that the NRL looked to choose a funding and infrastructure proposal from the state government worth upwards of $500m for a Perth-based team.
- The WA government had initially offered a $120m grassroots funding request over 10 years
- The funding would include investing $350m to increase Perth’s rectangular HBF stadium from 22,500 to 27,000 and upgrade the facilities to ensure the new team can earn up to 70 per cent of its game-day revenue from corporate partnerships.
- Other funding would see $25 injected into a temporary high-performance facility at Ken Allen Field in Fremantle while a long-term centre of excellence will be built as a community asset in Malaga.
- The cost of opening HBF stadium is estimated to be $150,000 each game, but the government has offered a period of rent-free use for the NRL.
- Another significant development is the in-principle agreement to match, dollar-for-dollar, any funding from NRL Western Australia.
ON Novemnber 28th, the premier denied that the 500m figure was accurate and that it was an invention of east coast reporting on the matter.

The Premier also noted the unity of Parliament in the pursuit of an NRL license.

On December 13th, the Australian reported that Vlandys was still hoping to get Perth over the line but it was all in the hands of the WA Government now.
“It is in the hands of the WA government,” V’landys said. “We have made them aware of what our requirements are. They have never shown any concern about the requirements. They have been very positive about what we’ve said. “If that translates into a deal then it will be done very shortly. (The goal) is still 20 teams. There is still a bit of work to get to 20. This is the first one. Western Australia is next and we have many options for the 20th team.”
“After our bid was rejected we re-submitted a counter-bid to the NRL, which included a $20 million licence fee,” Cumins told AAP. “We were led to believe that was what the stumbling block was. We also made some other concessions about retaining a certain level of working capital and around bank guarantee-type things.”
On February 6, 2025 it was reported that Andrew Abdo was pretty optimistic about a WA team.
“I’m pretty optimistic,” he told Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy on SEN. “Western Australia presents a good opportunity for the game. When we had the Western Reds, we had participation numbers of 15,000-20,000 players over there.
“When we’ve played matches over there, the response that we get from the community has been overwhelming.Western Australia presents a great opportunity for the game, not only with fans, but also for player development. The signs are good. The business case has to stack up, so we need to strike an agreement with the government around infrastructure and grassroots.
“The commission is absolutely having a close look at this to make sure we get a business case that’s viable and then we can take it to our stakeholders and members.”



References
- Wikipedia – WA Reds
- 12.02.2020 – ‘Players love the place’: Perth businessman heads new bid for NRL team in west
- 05.02.2024. – ‘In the equation’: Huge Bears boost as V’landys reveals iconic franchise’s expansion credentials
- 05.02.2024 – ‘Gets a bit frustrating’: Bears welcome potential NRL return… but reveal four non-negotiables
- 26.04.2024 – Perth believed to be leading NRL expansion queue as league settles on timeline
- 13/05/2024 – ‘That’s the ambition’: V’landys’ plan for 18th, 19th NRL franchises revealed amid Bears return
- 14.05.2024 – “If there’s certainty, we can wait”: Perth NRL bid Chairman discusses chances of expansion in WA
- 18.05.2024 – Perth gets V’landys tick as part of NRL expansion plans
- 21.05.2024 – Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY ESTIMATES COMMITTEE B — Tuesday, 21 May 2024]
- 12.06.2024 – NRL expansion shock with Perth on track to become 18th team in possible alliance with Newtown Jets over North Sydney Bears
- 12.06.2024 – Marriage of expedience: Politis, Bears in bed with Perth to push expansion case
- 14.06.2024 – UPDATE: BEARS NRL BID
- 20.06.2024 – Western Australia edges ahead of Papua New Guinea to field NRL team
- 02.07.2024 – ‘Better spending time in the sun at Henson’: Singo, Jets quit Perth NRL bid
- 09.10.2024 – ‘Must have strong business case’: Western Bears bid officially torpedoed
- 09.10.2024 – ARL Commission head Peter V’landys says Roger Cook’s WA Government is key to Western Bears success
- 30/10/2024 – WA knocks back initial NRL funding request – AFR 30/10/2024
- 02/11/2024 – Peter V’landys reveals fifth Queensland team a possibility amid Perth speculation
- 21/11/2024 – NRL and Western Australia government on verge of agreeing Perth-based Bears to become competition’s 18th team
- 28.11.2024 – Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 28 November 2024]
- 28.11.2024 – Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 28 November 2024]
- 04.12.2024 – WA confirms no deal cut on new NRL team, with league to reveal Papua New Guinean team in Sydney
- 13/12/2024 – NRL turns attention to Perth expansion after PNG success
- 28.01.2025 – Rebuffed Perth NRL bid made new $20m licence fee offer
- 06.02.2025 – ‘I’m pretty optimistic’: Andrew Abdo breathes new life into WA bid, says invitation still open for Donald Trump to attend Vegas games
- Attendance data – afltables.com, footyindustry.com
- TV Ratings – Oztam
- Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 24 October 2019]
- Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL — Tuesday, 25 June 2019]