Corporate Traveller, the SME travel specialist of Flight Centre Travel Group, has announced it will become Coaches Partner of the Perth Bears, the NRL’s newest club, ahead of the team’s first season in 2027 at HBF Park.
It is a partnership built for the long run rather than a quick sprint, landing at a moment when Perth itself is having a breakout season of its own.
It’s a fitting match on more fronts than one. Corporate Traveller has had operations in both Perth and North Sydney for more than 30 years, the same two cities now anchoring the Bears’ story.
Born from the North Sydney Bears, the club is writing a new chapter in Western Australia while carrying that legacy forward, and Corporate Traveller is positioned to back the team in both markets as that story unfolds.
Calling the plays together
As Coaches Partner, Corporate Traveller will have a visible presence across the club, including brand exposure on kit, at HBF Park, and across the Bears’ broadcast and digital channels. The partnership also connects Corporate Traveller with the club’s growing corporate network through Bears in Business, backing local businesses as they grow alongside the team.
On the field, the club is in the hands of rugby league great Mal Meninga, whose Hall of Fame playing career and premiership and Origin-winning coaching record speak for themselves, a clear sign of just how seriously the Bears are building for 2027.
Tom Walley, Global Managing Director of Corporate Traveller, is pumped, saying the timing could not be better.
“The Bears are a team writing their own history from game one, and that kind of ambition is exactly what gets us fired up. We back growth wherever we find it, and right now, there’s nowhere in the country with more of it than Perth. This partnership puts us right where the action is,” said Walley.
“And when you’ve got a coach of Mal Meninga’s calibre steering the ship, you know this club means business, on and off the field,” Walley added.
Two teams, one goal
Perth Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie welcomed the partnership, highlighting the strategic synergy between elite sports performance and seamless corporate travel.
“To have a national leader like Corporate Traveller backing the Perth Bears ahead of our 2027 NRL debut is a massive vote of confidence in our franchise,” Mr De Ceglie said.
“Corporate Traveller understands what it takes to perform under pressure. As we build an elite football program from the ground up, having their support behind Mal and our coaching department, alongside their backing of our Bears in Business network, gives us an incredible foundation for success both on and off the field.”
Mr Meninga said he was thrilled to have Corporate Traveller helping him get where he needed to go without any hassle.
“In elite sport, preparation is everything. The environment we build around our coaching staff and playing group directly impacts how we perform on match day,” Mr Meninga said.
“Corporate Traveller is all about efficiency, reliability, and helping teams perform at their best away from home. I’m thrilled to have the team at Corporate Traveller as our official Coaches Partner as we prepare to make history with the Bears.”
A city building serious form
Perth is one of the fastest-growing capital cities in Australia, and business travel into the city is picking up pace just as quickly. The Bears may be the new team in town, but Perth has been building form for a while now, and this partnership puts Corporate Traveller right in the thick of the action as the city’s business ambitions go up a gear.
New data from Corporate Traveller shows just how much momentum Perth is carrying. Business travel into the city grew 11.6 per cent year on year in the second quarter of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.
Construction led the growth charge, up 21.5 per cent, while mining, oil and gas travel grew 14.5 per cent, underlining just how much of Western Australia’s growth is being driven by the industries that built the state in the first place. Perth is not just keeping pace with the rest of the country; it is setting it.
“It’s a market we know well. We’ve always believed in showing up in person for the businesses we work with, not just servicing them from a distance,” Walley added.
“That’s exactly what this partnership is about, standing shoulder to shoulder with the communities we operate in, in Perth and beyond.”
