Why We’re Backing the Amber Valley Open

This weekend, Amber Valley opens the draw beyond the advanced field. Third Shot is backing the event, with our support focused on the 3.5 players helping British pickleball grow from the ground up.

Most tournament stories begin with who won.

This one begins a little lower down the rankings.

The Amber Valley Open has always carried proper competitive intent. In 2026, that ambition is getting broader. After the Open-level weekend, the tournament moves to Derby Arena on 26 and 27 September for dedicated 3.5 and 4.0 competition.

It means more players get the full version of a tournament weekend: a serious draw, proper refereeing, prize money, an atmosphere worth travelling for and enough guaranteed matches to make the day feel like more than a quick knock-out.

For the first time, Amber Valley is not only building its flagship Open around the advanced end of the sport. It is making room for the competitive amateur and club game too.

Why That Matters to Us

Third Shot has never been interested only in what happens at the top of a rankings table.

The sport grows because ordinary players decide to take it seriously. They book another court. They enter their first tournament. They start checking a DUPR score. They find a regular partner. They drive two hours on a Saturday because somebody convinced them the draw will be worth it.

That is the layer of the game we want to support.

This weekend, Third Shot is sponsoring the Amber Valley Open, with our focus on the 3.5 category. For a young independent British brand, it is a serious commitment. More importantly, it is being attached to the part of the player base that rarely gets the same attention as the elite end.

Amber Valley's own event structure makes the point clearly. The Derby weekend is built around 3.5 and 4.0 competition and gives that part of the player base a much bigger competitive platform.

James, Amber Valley and a Relationship That Already Exists

There is another reason this partnership feels straightforward.

James Hall is Third Shot's number-one supporter and an apparel partner. That matters because this is not a cold sponsorship deal between two logos that happen to share a sport.

It is a relationship with somebody who has backed Third Shot, worn the brand and helped put it in front of the people who actually play. Supporting Amber Valley is a chance to return some of that belief in a way that has a direct effect on the event.

The sponsorship is important. So is simply being there.

The Weekend

The 3.5 and 4.0 weekend takes place at Derby Arena on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September.

Saturday
18+ Men's Doubles and 18+ Women's Doubles.

Sunday
18+ Mixed Doubles and 45+ Mixed Doubles.

At 3.5, players must sit at 3.999 DUPR or below. At 4.0, the ceiling is 4.499. The planned format guarantees a minimum of five matches in each division, so the weekend has been built to give players proper court time rather than simply a name on an entry list.

Third Shot will have a pop-up at Derby Arena across the weekend. Joe Matthewson may also play.

Where the Game Grows

Grassroots can become a vague word very quickly.

Here, it is fairly literal. Amber Valley is giving the 3.5 and 4.0 game a bigger competitive platform now, rather than waiting for those players to become advanced before treating their participation as important.

The club is also using the event to support the next layer down: profits from its 2026 tournament tees are being directed towards putting paddles and balls into primary and secondary schools across Amber Valley.

That is the part we like.

If British pickleball is going to keep growing, it needs elite players and big events. It also needs people entering the 3.5 draw, staying for the mixed on Sunday and coming back next year a little better than they were before.

We'll see you at Derby Arena.