The 1901–02 season was the eighth in the history of the Southern League. Portsmouth were Division One champions for the first time. No clubs applied for election to the Football League.
| Competition: | Southern Football League Division One |
| Season: | 1901–02 |
| Winners: | Portsmouth (1st title) |
| Promoted: | none |
| Relegated: | none |
| Matches: | 240 |
| Total Goals: | 712 |
| Prevseason: | 1900–01 |
| Nextseason: | 1902–03 |
A total of 16 teams contest the division, including 13 sides from previous season and three new teams.
Team promoted from Division Two:
Teams elected from Midland League:
| Competition: | Southern Football League Division Two |
| Season: | 1901–02 |
| Winners: | Fulham |
| Promoted: | none |
| Relegated: | West Hampstead (resigned) Shepherds Bush (resigned) Maidenhead (resigned) |
| Matches: | 72 |
| Total Goals: | 315 |
| Prevseason: | 1900–01 |
| Nextseason: | 1902–03 |
A total of nine teams contest the division, including 7 sides from previous season and two new teams.
Newly elected teams:
At the end of the season, test matches were held between the bottom two clubs in Division One and the top two clubs in Division Two. Swindon Town beat Fulham 3–0 to maintain their place in Division One. The other match between Brentford and Grays United ended in a 1–1 draw, but for a second successive season Grays were refused promotion after refusing to play extra time.