- WACA Ground and Waterbank site to be upgraded to support more high-performance sport, with Perth Bears to be first occupants
- Improvements to complement the WACA Redevelopment Project which is delivering a multi-use sporting hub in East Perth
- Part of the Cook Government's commitment to providing quality sporting infrastructure for the community and growing rugby league in WA
The Perth Bears are set for a riverside welcome, with the iconic WACA Ground and Waterbank site in East Perth to become the first home of Australia's newest NRL club.
The WACA Ground has been a leader in high-performance sport for more than 100 years, with the Cook Government set to invest a further $12.9 million to future-proof the historic ground and create a new professional training field at the nearby Waterbank site.
These works will complement the broader WACA Redevelopment Project, ensuring the wider precinct is activated as a multi-use, high-performance hub.
Hosting a professional NRL team at the WACA Ground and Waterbank site will create opportunities to engage with local organisations, schools and sporting groups, providing new ways for the broader community to connect with professional sport in the heart of the city.
The WACA Ground will host the Perth Bear's administration and high-performance space, with the nearby Waterbank site to be used as the club's professional training field.
The Lillee Marsh stand at the WACA Ground will be upgraded to an NRL club standard, providing the Perth Bears with the high-performance training environment needed to get them ready to enter the NRL competition in 2027.
The Waterbank site will be upgraded with new goal posts, additional subsoil drainage and improved soil profile and the installation of higher quality couch grass to improve the reliability of the training surface.
This State Government investment lays the groundwork for a long-term legacy of elite and grassroots sport in East Perth.
The Waterbank upgrades are part of PlayOn WA: 2030 by 2030 the Cook Government's initiative to deliver 2,030 community infrastructure items across WA by the year 2030.
As stated by Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti:
"The WACA Ground has driven high-performance sport in Western Australia for more than a century and hosting the inaugural Perth Bears team will be an exciting new chapter for this iconic venue.
"As WA steps closer to NRL history, opening this space up to the Perth Bears will mean they have the high-quality training facilities they need to burst into the competition in 2027.
"Bringing elite sport into the heart of the city is not only a smart use of public space but delivers lasting benefits to the community and local sporting clubs.
"While Perth Bears will call the WACA and Waterbank home in the short term, this investment provides the opportunity for further elite sport to be housed at the precinct in the future.
"Transformation of Waterbank into a professional training field will complement the WACA Ground Improvement Project, strengthening the precinct's use as a multi-use sporting hub."
