SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) will expand westwards in the 2027 season with the addition of an 18th club, the Perth Bears, the league and Western Australian government announced on Thursday.
The government said it had agreed to fund the new team to the tune of A$65.6 million ($42.36 million) over seven years, ensuring the return of professional rugby league to the state for the first time since the demise of the Western Reds in 1997.
