The newest team in Australia’s National Rugby League is ready to roar after unveiling the logo they’ll wear when they take to the pitch in 2027.
The Perth Bears launched the logo on Wednesday, January 14. While the Bears are technically a brand new franchise, the logo pays “homage and respect” to the North Sydney Bears, a former NRL club with whom the Perth team shares roots.
The logo features a black snarling bear’s head with white highlights and teeth. The bear has a red tongue and bottom lip, along with a thick red outline around the head. Along with the name, the Perth logo shares the black, red and white colour scheme previously used in North Sydney.
“The Perth Bears are the most exciting story in Australian sport and we have taken our time to make sure we get this right. The Perth Bears are a new club; but that will never change the fact that the birthplace and spiritual home of the ‘Bears’ in rugby league will always be North Sydney.
“We’re proud that our Bear has been developed from within North Sydney but with an eye on the future. We truly believe it represents something that both North Sydney fans and West Australian fans can truly get behind.”
— Anthony De Ceglie, chief executive officer, Perth Bears
The North Sydney Bears were founded in 1908, but they disappeared from the NRL following the 1999 season when it merged with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to become the Northern Eagles. After many stops and starts in getting the team back in the NRL since then, a deal was finally reached with the Western Australia government in April 2025 to bring the Bears across the country to Perth.
“The Perth Bears are a new club but not without history – West Australians get a Western Australian team in the NRL and loyal Bears supporters get the Bears back where they belong in Australia’s greatest sporting competition,” said Perth Bears chairman Ben Morton in a press release. “The Perth Bears will always honour and respect the history of the Bears in Rugby League and under this new Bear, the Western Australian rugby league community and loyal Bears fans can unite as one in support of the Perth Bears in the NRL.”
Since exiting the NRL, the North Sydney Bears have continued playing in lower levels of Australian rugby. They’ve signed an agreement with the new Perth team to serve as one of their feeder clubs.
(Courtesy Wikipedia)
The new logo was created by Dave Carnovale, a graphic designer and longtime supporter of the North Sydney Bears. In the team’s press release, he said “he wanted to create a responsible evolution using the Bears DNA.”
“This logo represents the restoration of the Bears’ place in the game they helped create, resulting in a timeless symbol that bridges heritage with future-readiness,” Carnovale said. “They are heading into such an exciting new chapter in Perth, just as the NRL is going global and I’m looking forward to seeing my sons recognise ‘daddy’s drawing’ out in the world.”
“This is one club, one family, across two coasts,” added head coacm Mal Meninga. “This Bear honours the proud history of the Bears while embracing the energy of Western Australia.”
The Bears’ jerseys have not yet been released, but the club has signed a contract with New Balance to be its official apparel supplier.
The Bears will play most of their home games at HBF Park in Perth, which they’ll share with the Perth Glory of A-League Men and the Western Force, who compete in Super Rugby Pacific. They are also looking at playing one home game a year at a stadium in Sydney in recognition of their history and fanbase in the city.
