The Southampton Sumo Club was formed in 2025 to bring the sport of Sumo to the city.

It is the sister club to https://southamptonjudo.com/ which teaches Judo.

The first training session was held on June 22nd 2025.

  • Head coach: Sonny Bell (London Sumo Club).
  • Manager / Founder: Lance Wicks.

The club is affiliated to British Sumo and through that the European Sumo Federation and International Sumo Federation.

We are working hard to grow and inclusive club that welcomes all genders, ages, shapes, abilities.

We have featured on BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio4 Women’s Hour, Asahi TV and in a variety of news articles.

We strongly believe that Sumo is a sport for all, and encourage you all to come and join us.

There is no kicking, no punching, no strangles, no joint locks, no big throws/falls. No complicated rules.

Sumo is short, each bout being about 10 seconds long, so you don’t need to be super fit to start.

It is a game of pushing and shoving friends out of a circle. At competitive level we have weight groups and men’s and women’s categories so you don’t have to face off against a giant. We also have an “open” category so if you want to face try and beat a giant you can!

In the club we focus on physical development and enjoyment. We are not professionals. We encourage competing internationally as it is very accessible compared to some other sports.

The wider Sumo community is amazing and we invite everyone to experience the comraderie and unique experiences amateur Sumo offers.