Sumo wrestling clubs have been opening at pace across the UK as social media has helped to change perceptions of the "massively misunderstood" sport.

Joe Andrews, the founder of the south-west of England's first sumo club, believes people had previously been put off due to incorrect notions that they have to be a heavy weight to compete.

"People think that's what sumo is - and that's professional sumo, but we're doing amateur sumo and it's far more inclusive - it's massively misunderstood," said Andrews, whose club is based in Glastonbury.

In two years, the number of clubs based in England has grown from one to 13, which Andrews said is largely down to viral social media videos.

"The bouts are normally about five to 15 seconds long - that makes for great social media content," he said.

"Shorts, reels and quick fire videos on YouTube and Facebook do make sumo very easy to to market."

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Andrews added that another bonus for the martial art is it does not require a huge amount of fitness.

"Over the 1,500-year history of sumo it was a male-dominated sport, but I'm pleased that isn't the case anymore - there are far more women getting involved in it and I've trained with some incredible women," he said.

The first British sumo clubs sprang up in the mid-1980s, when the sport was popular on UK television.

It has maintained a small but constant profile ever since in the UK and has grown rapidly worldwide in recent years, according to the British Sumo Federation.

Amateur competition has four weight categories: lightweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

In October 2025, London's Royal Albert Hall showed there was an appetite for the sport in the UK, when it hosted a Grand Sumo Tournament, sumo's highest level of competition.

Andrews believes his club to be the first in the south-west of England and possibly the first club in the country to be based in a small, rural town.

When BBC West filmed with him at the Somerset Sumo Club gym, Andrews was running a training session with four people who wanted to improve their sumo skills.

Harvey Dines, who teaches jiu-jitsu in Bath, said he travelled the hour-long journey to Glastonbury and also to Oxford weekly to take part in sumo classes.

"I've always been a fan of sumo - I used to watch it on TV with my dad when I was a kid," he said.

"[Before last year] I didn't know there was sumo in England, so I went to a taster session out of curiosity.

"It's a string to my bow, but [sumo] itself is really good fun."

Amanda Pattinson was taking part in her first session.

"It looks more approachable than other forms of martial arts," she said.

Jonny Mace, who also learns karate, said: "I think it suits all abilities - you can be of any age or fitness and get involved."

Jamie Dickson said he started going to sumo classes because he had free time, but found the activity to be accessible.

"That, and the short rounds - the bouts are over quite quickly, so you can learn quite quickly because of that. Win or lose you learn rapidly, so it's quite rewarding."