The Perth Bears are still a year away from playing their first NRL match, but the league's incoming 18th franchise is already exploring opportunities well beyond Western Australia.
According to international outlet City AM, Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie has confirmed the club is open to hosting NRL fixtures in Singapore, leveraging the shared time zone and aligning with the ARL Commission's broader push into global markets.
“We are in a very different time zone to Sydney and Melbourne,” De Ceglie said.
“We're in the economic Asian powerhouse time zone and that's really handy for us.
“I'd love to take the NRL to Singapore, it could be the Perth version of Las Vegas.”
The proposal mirrors the NRL's successful Vegas experiment and forms part of a wider strategy to grow the game internationally, particularly across Asia, where De Ceglie believes untapped commercial and broadcast opportunities exist.
“There's so many opportunities, not just into the east coast market because it means we can play that late game, but also taking the game into Asia could be huge,” he said.
“We're the most watched sporting code in Australia and we have a monopoly on it in Western Australia, it's a pretty easy selling point, but we're capitalising on the growth of the game.”
Singapore's National Rugby League has reportedly welcomed the concept, with the city-state already positioning itself as a destination for major rugby league events, including the World Club Challenge and potential fixtures in a future NRL Global Round.
Singapore sits just a four-hour flight from Perth, strengthening the logistical case as the Bears continue to shape their identity ahead of their anticipated NRL entry.
