$160k Talking About Australian Fantasy Football

Ryan “Heff” Gerlach started The Keeper League Podcast and keeperleaguepod.com.au on the side from his teaching job.

It’s not about football, not just about fantasy football, but about a very specific flavor of fantasy football for Australian Rules Football.

That’s a niche within a niche within a niche — where fans don’t just draft players, they build teams that last for years.

And now it serves as the hub for player data, draft tools, and expert analysis for football keeper leagues.

Tune in to Episode 658 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:

how to turn a niche passion into a profitable business
how to build a loyal community around a specific interest
how to monetize skills and knowledge through various streams

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Why Fantasy Football?

This whole thing dates back to 2018, right around the time Heff had his son. At the time, he was teaching music and tech full-time — teaching kids how to record bands, use microphones, do studio recording, etc.

Heff was also really into podcasts back then.

But why fantasy football? Heff and his buddies had been running their Keeper League since about 2013, so a solid five years before the podcast even started. It was one of those things they’d talk about non-stop in WhatsApp chats.

No one else in Australia was really talking about this version of fantasy football.

Not just fantasy — keeper leagues, which is kinda like Dynasty leagues in the U.S.

The difference is that instead of drafting a whole new team every season, you keep your players year after year.

So you’ve gotta think long-term: who you’re keeping, who you’re cutting, who you’re trading, and so on. It’s like running your own team, and that strategy side of things is what really hooked Heff and his crew.

The Podcast Launch

The podcast was focused on players flying under the radar — guys who hadn’t even played a game yet or were grinding it out in the reserves.

And for the first few episodes, the quality of audio was just impressive thanks to Heff’s music production background.

That paid off big time when the guy who runs the official AFL Fantasy podcast retweeted the episode, shouting them out and saying it was great to see the fantasy community growing.

That shout-out gave them their first real boost. It went from around 100 listeners to about 400. Nothing crazy. But hey, for a brand-new podcast, that’s solid.

Plus, the timing couldn’t have been better. The next season, AFL Fantasy added Keeper Leagues to their platform for the first time and asked Heff to write articles for them.

And the next thing they know, they were doing live shows with the AFL Fantasy crew, opening their events with quick 10-15 minute sets.

Finding a Gap in the Market

Now, they already knew other people were into Keeper Leagues because they got the idea from someone else.

And considering how often they talked about it, it wasn’t a stretch to think others might want that content, too.

Plus, when they started digging into the fantasy world online — forums, social media, and all that — they realized there wasn’t much dedicated coverage for Keeper Leagues.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The first few years, the podcast barely made enough to cover hosting fees and basic expenses, but Heff just loved doing it.

There was also this sense of possibility, the idea that if they kept at it, things might eventually grow into something bigger. And they did.

It started small, with a few hundred listeners and a $2 Patreon subcription that brought in just enough to cover the basics.

But over time, that core group of supporters helped them upgrade their equipment, improve production quality, and eventually launch their own website.

Scaling with YouTube and TikTok

Heff soon realized how important it is to have a video, so they just started small by recording clips of the podcast and posting them on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

They were pretty DIY from the start using GoPros mounted on mic stands and syncing the audio and video.

But since it was a hassle, they eventually upgraded to better cameras, lights, and monitors, investing the money they made from the podcast back into the production.

All of it wasn’t to look more professional; video clips helped them connect with younger fans and spread the word beyond their core podcast listeners.

How the Podcast Started Making Money

That $2 Patreon subscription was not bad, just enough to cover production expenses.

But people wanted more than just the podcast. They wanted deeper insights, data, and tools to help them dominate their Keeper Leagues.

Since the key to winning in Keeper Leauges is spotting talent before anyone else does, it’s tough when you’re looking at players who haven’t even made it to the AFL yet.

So Heff started scouring the internet for stats and game data from younger leagues and reserve competitions.

Using Power Query in Excel, he pulled together all that data into one place. Suddenly, they had a massive database of player stats: averages, high scores, low scores, trends, etc.

It was like a cheat sheet for finding the next breakout star. And it became their biggest selling point.

Selling Curated Data and Expert Analysis

At first, Heff just uploaded the spreadsheets to Patreon, letting subscribers download the latest updates.

But over time, they switched to a yearly subscription model, packaging everything up and selling it right before draft season when demand was at its peak.

The podcast now has around 1,200 annual subscribers, split across three tiers (note that these are AUD):

Keeper-League-Membership — https://keeperleaguepod.com.au/keeper-league-membership/

Most subscribers go for the Silver or Gold tiers.

And since the content is packaged and sold before draft season, the bulk of those sign-ups happen right when people need it most, making it a perfect seasonal business model.

Community Rankings

Heff built this tool, which is kind of like a game in itself.

You get presented with three players, and you’ve got to pick which one you’d prefer in a Keeper League. Over time, all those choices from different users build a collective ranking of every player in the league — based on what the community actually thinks.

The free version gives you the top 100 players, but if you’re a paying member, you get the full list.

It’s a quick, interactive way to get a sense of player value, and since it’s crowd-sourced, it reflects real opinions from other managers, not just expert analysis.

Discord Group

Discord is where he built the community.

Gold members get access to a private channel where Heff is active pretty much every day, answering questions and talking strategy.

For a lot of members, that direct connection with the podcast’s creator is a big part of the value, and it helps build a sense of loyalty that keeps them coming back year after year.

What’s Driving Traffic and Sales Today?

1. Meta Ads

These days, a big chunk of traffic and sales comes from Meta ads.

Heff creates video ads where he demos different tools and resources — like the mock draft simulator or community rankings — and talks through why they’re useful for Keeper League players.

2. Sponsorships

Sponsorships add another layer of income, with deals from fantasy platforms, sports brands, and other companies looking to reach the podcast’s audience.

Some sponsors have signed on for full-season deals, while others run short-term campaigns during peak draft season.

Heff’s also partnered with a new fantasy platform called Keeper Fantasy, which is built specifically for Keeper Leagues.

In exchange for helping promote the platform, Heff’s ads are featured throughout the site.

3. Podcast and Social Media Consulting

Beyond the podcast itself, Heff’s also started offering consulting services, helping other podcasts improve their audio quality, content strategy, and production process.

On top of that, he’s helping businesses step up their social media game, creating TikTok and Instagram Reels, running Meta ad campaigns, and building websites.

4. Footie Numbers: A Viral Hit

And then there’s FootyNumbers, a simple online game Heff built as a side project that unexpectedly blew up.

The game is simple. You’re shown a player’s jersey number and have to guess which player it belongs to.

Sounds easy, but it’s addictive — and when AFL players and commentators started sharing their high scores on social media, it went viral almost overnight.

Seeing the opportunity, Heff added Google ads to the game, bringing in a few hundred dollars a month in extra income.

Tools and Tech

WordPress – the website, KeeperLeaguePod.com.au, is built on WordPress. It gave him full control, letting him customize everything from the membership tiers to bonus content and downloadable resources.
MemberPress – a popular plugin that handles everything from sign-ups and payments to granting access to premium content.
Audio Setup – of course when it comes to recording, sound quality has always been a priority.

Podcast Schedule

From January through September, this is the heart of the AFL Fantasy season. So they release a podcast episode once a week, usually about an hour long.

And every Monday morning, there’s a quick, 10-minute bonus episode focused on waiver wire pickups.

Since some leagues let managers add free agents throughout the season, this episode highlights players who are still under 40% owned — helping listeners spot potential breakouts before anyone else grabs them.

From September to January, with most Keeper Leagues drafting before the new season, this period is all about updating player rankings, refining data tools, and creating draft guides.

Mistakes and Surprises Along the Way

Don’t stress about what other people think.

Early on, every little mistake felt like a big deal — typo on the website, a glitch in one of the tools, or a podcast episode that didn’t quite hit the mark.

If something broke, Heff used to drop everything and rush to fix it, even if it meant jumping out of bed in the middle of the night.

But over time, he realized that most people don’t even notice the little hiccups, and if they do, they’re surprisingly understanding. The community has always been supportive.

What’s Next?

Heff’s focused on scaling as much as possible.

Now it’s about reaching more people, whether that’s through expanding the membership base, improving the tools and resources, or finding new ways to connect with the fantasy football community.

Another big milestone is moving into a dedicated studio. That means better soundproofing, upgraded cameras, and a space designed specifically for recording both audio and video content.

Heff’s also focused on expanding his consulting services, helping other creators and businesses with podcast production, social media marketing, and website development.

With so many skills picked up along the way, there’s a lot of potential to turn those skills into additional revenue streams.

Heff’s #1 Tip for Side Hustle Nation

“It’s never too late to learn something new.”

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