Phil Gould on Twitter: Canterbury supremo reveals why he started a social media account during his Penrith days

Mark Molyneux

•
Phil Gould on Twitter: Canterbury supremo reveals why he started a social media account during his Penrith days image

If you’ve been scrolling through rugby league content on X, formerly known as Twitter, you’ll no doubt have stumbled across Phil Gould’s account.

If the Canterbury supremo isn’t squabbling with journalist Phil Rothfield, sharing snapshots of his breakfast or extolling the virtues of eye surgery, he’s providing the latest news on all things Bulldogs.

His account has become a cornerstone of the NRL ecosystem online.

However, Gould has revealed that his introduction into the world of social media was actually borne out of necessity back when he was at the foot of the mountains with Penrith. 

MORE: Phil Gould reveals 'absolutely extraordinary' AI revolution occurring in NRL clubs

Phil Gould on Twitter: Canterbury supremo reveals why he started a social media account during his Penrith days

"I only got on Twitter when I first went to the Panthers," Gould said while appearing on The Unscripted Show.

"They named me General Manager - I’m not a GM, I’ve never claimed to be or thought of myself as one - but that was the job they wanted me to do at the time. And one of the things that involved was social media." 

Gould explained that Penrith’s lack of reach online was seen as being a possible detrimental factor to the club’s future hopes of growth and success. 

So, he quickly set up a personal account and started reaching out to the masses.

"Penrith only had about five thousand members; their average attendances were no good, the sponsorship was down, as were all these other different metrics that they had," Gould said.

"I was looking at it and one was social media presence. There was a very small social media presence compared to some of the bigger clubs, particularly the Broncos, Roosters and Dragons.

"I was like, 'What’s social media?' I just had no idea. This was in 2011.

"It was sort of like, we need to get on board with all of that," Gould continued.

"I started a Twitter account. You needed followers, so you had to do some things to get them and that’s where I started with it."

Gus noted that he made the club the main focus of his account, making sure to provide in-depth and behind-the-scenes knowledge, while also trying to connect with fans on a personal level.

"In the early days, I would just run forums all day and all night," Gould recalled.

"Fans don’t get a lot of honesty from the general media. There is a lot of agenda-driven stuff. Your club fans can feel like they’re being left out in the dark or being told falsehoods.

"What I tried to do was grow the membership and build the relationship with our members through interaction and it really helped." 

The 67-year-old highlighted how gaining access to fans via the internet was also a major positive that allowed him to get on the front foot and shape the narrative at the Panthers during the early stages of their rebuild.  

"The immediacy of social media meant I was able to correct mainstream media if they were getting it wrong or telling lies," Gould added.

"If there were rumours around that weren’t true, you could dispel that as well.

"It sort of set us up where we weren’t going to be pushed around or be mucked with."

Mark Molyneux

Mark Molyneux is a freelance writer covering the NRL and UFC for Sporting News Australia. He has previously worked in the music industry and as a teacher around the world.