Keith just a bit more on this forever debate on affiliation.  Of course, nobody wants to pay if they can get out of it.  However, it is due to affiliation fees that a true representative team for a country can be chosen to compete (plus sponsorship if available and fund-raising and subsidy).  Why? Airfares, uniforms and accommodation are provided and the financial aspect then allows for the best team to be selected.  Otherwise the team is chosen from those who can afford the trip which is then hardly the best team for that country  Those players then compete in the individual event.  It is from the affiliation fees of a State and National Association that representatives are sent to Annual Meetings, Regional Coaches are employed, etc.

Unfortunately, affiliation fees (levied on each squash player) is the only source of income for Associations, plus sponsorship if they are luckily enough to secure it.  In Australia, It is the falling down of the affiliation system and break-away groups not passing on the fees, that has caused the demise of  our game, and decrease in Govt assistance to employ Coaches, Secretarys, Tournament Controllers, Referee education, etc. etc..

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Rita,I am very happy with the situation in Australia re Mastersmembership,which exhibits a certain amount of democracy,but outside in the big world affiliation can be a two edged sword.I firmly believe that when you play the worldmasters,you do so as an individual,not on behalf of your country or association.The less bureaucracy the better for me,and I have never been thrown out of a draw yet.Worldmasters seems to function well in that repect,even if you don't get a say in the format.That said,some countries approach the whole thing as a team(eg.South Africa)but there again,they seem to get free uniforms and tracksuits.

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Sorry Keith, I have continued the debate on the post "back to the future"; it just seemed timely to add the 2010 World Masters to the debate.  Someone needs to take a firmer stand with affiliation, and until then, the players will really be on their own. There is no way I would travel thousands of miles and not be affiliated....it has happened that player's entries have been rejected in Open Tournaments and that might be ok if it is ten minutes up the road but hardly ok if you have trained seriously, spent lots of dollars, and get chucked out of the draw. 

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Rita,Here is a snapshot of the Masters as I understand it.Every year in Australia we celebrate state titles and national titles.You cannot participate in state titles unless you are a financial member of your state association,and you cannot participate in national titles unless you are a financial member of your state association,and your state association is a financial member of the Australian Masters Squash Association.This is,at least in theory a two way street,and provides rank and file members with a voice at state and national level in Masters.I assume a similar situation exists in New Zealand,England,and South Africa.On the other hand,the World Masters Squash Tournament is organised biennially on even years so as not to clash with Worldmasters Games(containing squash) on odd years.It is held under the auspices of the WSF,but as far as I know admits no input as to formula or venue from the national associations.A common or garden squash player has no representation when it comes to deciding rules,conditions and formulae.This was never better demonstrated than at the farewell dinner of the Worldmasters squash in Christchurch when the announcement was made that from now on the official scoring system  of the WSF would be PAR11,and other forms of scoring would become options,but not the principal system.To say a collective moan escaped the lips of the 700 or so assembled masters players would be an understatement.There was in fact,a fair amount of booing from this normally circumspect group.It was the only low point in what no-one would dispute was the best farewell dinner ever at the Air Museum.The only national body with any input is the one of the country brave enough to host this gargantuan event,which NZ masters did to perfection last year.It should also be mentioned that to compete in this tournament you are under no pressure to belong to a national squash association,I myself having variously appeared as English and Australian so far.On that basis we cannot complain that we are not represented because we only make a one off payment to compete,with no referral to national bodies.Finally,I must admit to a certain disengenuousness,having just competed successfully in a  Masters PAR11 tournament in South America.They at least offered the opportunity to compete in different categories in the same tournament,a brilliant idea as far as I am concerned,and one which allows players as much squash as they want or can handle,and a great antidote to brief PAR11 matches.

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