Honey trap: Perth’s gay club caught up in Bears fan mix-up
Premier Roger Cook poses for a photograph after a press conference about the forming of a new National Rugby League team the Perth Bears in Perth, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Perth’s long serving gay men’s social club, Bears Perth, has found itself in the middle of a hilarious mix-up thanks to the newly announced NRL team, the Perth Bears.
With membership applications flooding in from keen rugby league fans, Bears Perth felt they needed to set the record straight.
They told QNews on Friday they “would love it if a whole bunch of burly rugby fans showed up to one of our events,” but warned, “we are NOT the rugby club.”
Since the NRL announcement, Bears Perth – who prefer shaking a leg on the dance floor over shaking off tackles on the field – have been swamped with confused fans trying to join.
“We hardly ever get stuff from out of state,” said club Bears Perth president Kingsley Dawes 2GB radio with a chuckle. “So we got all these memberships and we had to call them up and say, ‘You do realise we are not the rugby club.’”
Bears Perth has been bringing together gay men since 1997, especially those who fit the Urban Dictionary definition of a bear: “a husky, large man with a lot of body hair.” Basically, big, hairy, and proud. (Grrr!)
The confusion isn’t totally surprising as their clubhouse sits right next to HBF Park, Perth’s famous sports hub.
Western Australian rugby league fans might be in for a fabulous surprise when they wonder in looking to catch some training drills – and instead find karaoke and cabaret.
Journalist Ben Fordham quipped on 2GB radio, “So if you wanted to, you could go and watch the Perth Bears and then drop into Bears Perth on the way home?”
“Absolutely,” laughed Dawes. “We’d be happy to have visitors – we welcome everybody.”
To keep things above the covers, the Bears Perth switched their membership sign-up from automatic to manual, avoiding any more surprise rugby fans in the queue.
And just in case you missed it, their Facebook statement was crystal clear: “Bears Perth is a social group for men, established in 1993… we are NOT associated with the newly announced NRL club. Please do not sign up if you want to join the rugby club.”
Perth Bears potentially should of gone with Western Bears pic.twitter.com/Vcjfhz2mim
— Pikey (@pikey14) May 14, 2025
The gay club has seen the bright side to all of this, saying there is “no such thing as bad publicity.”
But there will be no scums in their club house… just warm welcomes, cold drinks, and maybe even a cheeky cuddle or two.
Huge potential
With the Perth Bears officially confirmed as the NRL’s 18th team, preparations are now underway for their entry into the competition in 2027.
The NRL has appointed a new chief executive officer for the Perth club and is expected to establish a board soon, with former state Labor minister Peter Tinley rumored to be among the three Western Australian directors set to join.
Perth’s next move is to appoint a head coach, with Brad Arthur, Mal Meninga and Kevin Walters all said to have interviewed for the job in the last 48 hours.
The Bears are expecting a fan base of around 30,000 members between their existing North Sydney fan base as well as the influx of Western Australian NRL fans, who are all keen for some action.
John Sackson, NRL Western Australia chief executive officer, expressed optimism about the club’s potential support, saying, “I believe if this is done really meticulously and professionally, I would say 30,000 local members. I think 30,000 is achievable.”
Highlighting the sports growing enthusiasm, Sackson pointed to recent sell-out crowds at HBF Park, including the upcoming State of Origin game, where “there will be 60,000 there.”
He added: “The excitement around the market, I am getting texts from people saying where do I sign?”
Even before the NRL’s official announcement last week, Sackson revealed he had already been approached by several prospective sponsors eager to get involved.
He envisions the team as “a countrywide juggernaut” and explained the unique opportunity the club presents: “You have two sets of fans, the North Sydney Bears and (Western) Reds, who were ruthlessly ejected from their competitions and a lot of those fans went into hibernation.”
“These fans were disenfranchised, disillusioned and many lost to the game of rugby league,” Sackson continued. “Now those fans have a second chance to support the Bears and West Australian franchise.”
“If there is harmony and unity between the two fan bases, it could potentially be the biggest fan base in the competition.”
