The short-term future of the multi-million pound British curling programme may have been placed in amateur hands but both the players who must protect it and the administrators charged with delivering value for money have expressed confidence that the risk is minimal.

Dave Edwards went into the ­domestic European Championship play-downs over the weekend very much as the outsider, since his rival skips were Ewan Murray - who had beaten Edwards in this year's Scottish Championship final - and the Olympic silver medallists Dave Murdoch and Tom Brewster.

In the event, Edwards had his toughest time against the other unfunded rink skipped by Ewan MacDonald but that only made it all the more significant that he registered three wins out of three against Brewster as well as a victory over Murdoch in the best-of-three final.

That is a result which places in jeopardy Murdoch's 11-year run of partici­pation in European Championships since, as was the case when he went to the event with Hammy McMillan's rink in 2010, he will now be dependent on an invitation to go as an alternate.

The outcome will, meanwhile, feed concern being registered in the sport about the way funding is directed to a select few. This has been demonstrated by a former president of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club swiftly and pointedly noting at the conclusion of Sunday's final that it was a team from outside the official programme which had triumphed.

Organisers of Scotland's biggest commercial event in curling, the Perth Masters, have, meanwhile, recorded concern at the difficulty of generating domestic entries for their tournament, hinting at a 'them and us' culture being created between those players who are supported by the GB curling programme and those outside it.

As is the case across sport there is also a discussion taking place about the best development processes, with officials of the RCCC admitting that at some rinks it is becoming difficult to get sufficient time on the ice to accommodate the youngsters who want to try the sport. This at a time when the average age of Scottish curlers is understood to be around 63.

For his part, Edwards pointed out that it had been his choice and that of team-mates John Penny, Scott Macleod and Billy Morton, to remain amateur. "The programme isn't right for everyone," he said. "We're in a position where it's not right for us, but it's right for other teams. We made a personal choice to come out of it, but the programme is good.

"They're taking a lot of junior teams through and they've got them out in Oslo playing in international competition but, when you are on the outside, it's quite difficult to break through."

It is, however, now his team's job to earn Scotland a place in this season's World Championships by finishing in the top eight at the Europeans, while Olympic qualification for Great Britain depends on points accrued by Scottish teams at those World Championships. "That's good pressure," said Edwards.

"It's going to be on our shoulders but that's why we were here [at Perth for the qualifying competition]. We wanted to go to the Europeans, so to say we don't want the pressure is not what it's all about. We'll be going there hopefully to bring back a medal rather than worry about a World Championship qualifying spot."

His victory has implications for those running the programme, though, as acknowledged by Graeme Thompson, GB Curling's newly appointed head of performance. "It's clearly food for thought," he said. "You are always looking at how well you make your investment. It's my first competition of this sort and it was really great to see all seven [men's and women's] teams compete; there's a lot to reflect upon in different levels."

As he settles into the role, Thompson draws encouragement from having witnessed the challenge which exists to those who won Olympic medals earlier this year. "It shows the level of competition we've got in Scotland which is a positive for me at this stage, to have that depth of talent available," he said.

He acknowledged that the outcome will fuel debate about how widely support should be distributed. "I understand that tension - I am not blind to it at all - but I don't really see this as a line-up between the funded and unfunded teams," Thompson said. "I appreciate that there's been a disparity in potential preparation in hours in training and competition but, given the nature of curling, that's the outcome.

"It's one we'll have to reflect upon, but first of all what we have to do is prepare both [men's and women's] teams as well as possible to represent Scotland in the European Championships and I think it sets it up for the rest of the season as a very interesting competition at all levels. I look forward to the Scottish Championships."