When I was a student in Coventry they were then at highfield road and until my last term premier league.
When they played a Monday/ Sunday tv game which was one of those contractual ones rather than playing a big club they would let the students in for a fiver.
It was ideal the ground was in the student area and it drummed up interest. Although the majority of the students stayed committed to the clubs they supported when they arrived. Only one friend who stayed local follows cov now.
I think we should aim at school kids and youth football teams. Students are parochial and don't generally travel outside their locations much.
I think we should do both along with other stuff.
It plants the idea of going to County into their heads.
No one is saying many, if any of them will become full on County fans - but they might go to the odd game with their mates, all of whom might have different allegiances.
Not only are we a good standard and easy enough to get to, we're also "inoffensive" in a way, I can see a lot would think of going to City or Utd as cheating on their first love, but Stockport " what truck do I have with them?".
Plus there is the longer term prospect that a lot of students do settle in and around South Manchester and Stockport - and might then think about County when it comes to taking kids to a Football game.
A dad or mum might be a fan of Exeter or Wolves or Arsenal or Portsmouth or whoever- but time, money, family commitments might mean it's just not possible or practicable to go back there all the time for football, but County's local they've been a few times as a student, so they take the kids to County.
Who knows maybe Mum and/or dad even get s season ticket along with the kids - they won't stop being a Boston or Sunderland, or whoever fan - but the kids will likely grow up dedicated County fans.
And it's not like we're abandoning other projects to do this, or doing it all the time - it's once or twice a season.
We should always be looking for opportunities and ways to increase our fanbase and diversify it.
Other options could include an official club presence at Stockport Pride and an annual Pride Match.
There are LGBT groups in both Stockport and Manchester we could invite, both those aimed at youth groups, but also those aimed at LGBT sports/Football fans/players.
We could deck the place out with rainbows and invite a suitable charity to do the bucket collection that day (e.g. the Albert Kennedy Trust).
We could also make something of Black History Month.
Have an exhibition in the museum focusing on the contribution of BAME players and managers - Palmer, Singh, Francis, Preece, Wharton, etc...
Again invite BAME communnity/social groups and have a suitable bucket collection partner for the day (say the Sickle Cell charity for example).
These are just two examples off the top of my head.
And all 3 should be in addition to and complement the existing work the community foundation do, the free tickets for school kids, and the free tickets for youth sport and social groups.
They shouldn't replace or be in competition.