NOTTINGHAM Forest fans have called on the club to make a "positive impact" in the community by giving a £250,000 competition prize to grassroots football.
Reds supporter Shaun Lander won the money for the club in the Sky Bet Transfer Fund competition, but the news came just days after Forest's management were told they were to be given a transfer embargo for over-spending.
The club will not be able to pay any transfer fees from January 1 until the end of the season and look likely to face further sanctions next season.
But the money will not go to waste as the Football League have said it can be spent on players' wages.
Steve Wright, who runs Forest blog Mist Rolling In, said the club should make a gesture and use the money to help struggling grassroots teams.
"After the transfer embargo there's a feeling at the moment that Forest are one of the most unpopular clubs in the league which is an unusual situation for us fans who are used to being a popular club," he said.
"It would be nice if they could turn it into a positive and do something useful with the money. We've got struggling clubs in Nottinghamshire and it would be nice if they could pass it down. It would be good to make it have a positive impact on the game."
And Daniel Storey, who lives in Ruddington and is a freelance football journalist, said: "We spent millions of pounds on players on the summer so to give us more is ridiculous.
"The ideal scenarios would be to give it to Nottingham Forest Ladies Football Club or use it to subsidise something fans wise like away season ticket holders getting games free or discount on certain games or something.
"Nottingham was named as the City of Football so if they topped up the money given to local sport with that funding that would be great. That would be a goodwill gesture."
Reds fan Shaun Lander was picked out of the hat and beat 70,000 supporters who entered the competition to the prize as well as £5,000 for himself.
The prize draw was made by Sky Sports News presenters Jim White and Natalie Sawyer yesterday.
Mr Lander said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I didn't think I'd win at all. It's a fantastic treat to have just before Christmas and I'm so happy I can help the club I love.
"Forest will be able to use the funds on paying for loan players' wages in January, and I hope whoever they bring in will help our promotion push."
Forest are one of only three Championship clubs – as well as Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United – to fall foul of the Financial Fair Play rules which limit the amount a club can spend beyond it's means.
Forest supporter Nick Miller, who runs the Reds blog In The Top One, said: "The obvious irony is that this comes a day after Forest were given a transfer embargo, which was handed down in the first place for overspending. In this particular situation, perhaps the last thing Forest need is to be encouraged to spend more money."
Nottingham Forest declined to comment.
