澳大利亚橄榄球和足球联盟三支新球队即将启动

澳大利亚橄榄球联盟（NRL）和澳大利亚足球联盟（AFL）将在未来18个月内各自推出新球队1。其中，珀斯熊队和巴布亚新几内亚酋长队将加入NRL，分别于2027年和2028年启动1；塔斯马尼亚恶魔队将加入AFL，于2028年启动1。

这些新球队的建立获得了政府的巨额资金支持。塔斯马尼亚政府每年投入约1200万澳元用于球队运营，并资助超过10亿澳元的新体育场建设1；西澳政府承诺约8560万澳元用于建立珀斯熊队1；澳大利亚联邦政府为巴布亚新几内亚酋长队投入约6亿澳元1。

珀斯熊队复兴了历史悠久的北悉尼熊队的名号，该队在1999年后被排除在顶级橄榄球联赛之外1。这支新球队已吸引球员乔什·库兰、格哈马特·柴巴萨基和科里·霍斯伯格加盟，教练为马尔·梅尼加1。巴布亚新几内亚酋长队则已签下球员扎克·洛马克斯、杰罗姆·卢艾和亚历克斯·约翰斯顿，教练为威利·彼得斯1。这些新球队的建立面临着球队建设、球迷培养和文化建立的重大挑战1。

The National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Football League (AFL) are each launching three new teams over the next 18 months, representing a significant expansion of both competitions 1. The Perth Bears and Papua New Guinea Chiefs will join the NRL in 2027 and 2028 respectively, while the Tasmania Devils will enter the AFL in 2028 1. These ambitious projects combine state and federal government funding with substantial infrastructure investments to establish competitive franchises from the ground up.

Government backing is substantial across all three ventures 1. The Tasmanian government is committing approximately 12 million Australian dollars annually and funding over one billion dollars for a new sports stadium 1. Western Australia has pledged about 85.6 million dollars to establish the Perth Bears 1, while the Australian federal government is investing approximately 600 million dollars in the Papua New Guinea Chiefs 1. The Perth Bears are reviving the name of the historic North Sydney Bears, who were excluded from top-tier rugby league competition after 1999 1.

Both the Perth Bears and Papua New Guinea Chiefs have begun assembling their rosters. The Perth Bears have signed players Josh Curran, Gerhomat Toibasi, and Corey Horsburgh under coach Mal Meninga 1. The Chiefs have recruited Zac Lomax, Jerome Luai, and Alex Johnston, with Willie Peters leading the coaching staff 1. Despite these early signings and financial backing, establishing these clubs presents formidable challenges in team development, fan engagement, and organizational culture-building that will shape their long-term viability.