The 1900–01 season was the seventh in the history of the Southern League. Southampton were Division One champions for the fourth time in five seasons, whilst Bristol City were the only Southern League team applied for election. Finally they were elected to the Football League.
Division One
| Season | 1900–01 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Southampton (4th title) |
| Promoted | Bristol City |
| Relegated | Gravesend United (resigned) Chatham Town (resigned) |
| Matches played | 210 |
| Goals scored | 616 (2.93 per match) |
1901–02 → | |
A total of 16 teams contest the division, including 13 sides from previous season and three new teams.
Team promoted from Division Two:
- Watford
Newly elected teams:
- Luton Town - relegated from 1899–1900 Football League
- Kettering - promoted as Midland League champions
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton | 28 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 58 | 26 | 2.231 | 41 | |
| 2 | Bristol City | 28 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 54 | 27 | 2.000 | 39 | Elected to the Football League Second Division |
| 3 | Portsmouth | 28 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 32 | 1.750 | 38 | |
| 4 | Millwall Athletic | 28 | 17 | 2 | 9 | 55 | 32 | 1.719 | 36 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 55 | 33 | 1.667 | 36 | |
| 6 | West Ham United | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 40 | 28 | 1.429 | 33 | |
| 7 | Bristol Rovers | 28 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 46 | 35 | 1.314 | 32 | |
| 8 | Queens Park Rangers | 28 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 43 | 48 | 0.896 | 26 | |
| 9 | Reading | 28 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 24 | 25 | 0.960 | 24 | |
| 10 | Luton Town | 28 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 43 | 49 | 0.878 | 24 | |
| 11 | Kettering | 28 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 46 | 0.717 | 23 | |
| 12 | New Brompton | 28 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 34 | 51 | 0.667 | 19 | |
| 13 | Gravesend United | 28 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 32 | 85 | 0.376 | 19 | Dropped into Kent League at end of season |
| 14 | Watford | 28 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 24 | 52 | 0.462 | 16 | Relegation test matches |
| 15 | Swindon Town | 28 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 47 | 0.404 | 14 | |
| 16 | Chatham Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | Resigned from league after 10 matches, record expunged |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Division Two
| Season | 1900–01 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Brentford |
| Promoted | Brentford |
| Relegated | Sheppey United (resigned) |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 329 (4.57 per match) |
1901–02 → | |
A total of nine teams contest the division, including 8 sides from previous season and one new team.
Team relegated from Division One:
- Sheppey United
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentford | 16 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 11 | 5.727 | 30 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Grays United | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 12 | 5.167 | 26 | |
| 3 | Sheppey United | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 44 | 26 | 1.692 | 17 | Dropped into Kent League at end of season |
| 4 | Shepherds Bush | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 30 | 30 | 1.000 | 17 | |
| 5 | Fulham London | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 38 | 26 | 1.462 | 16 | |
| 6 | Chesham Town | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 26 | 39 | 0.667 | 11 | |
| 7 | Maidenhead | 16 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 49 | 0.429 | 9 | |
| 8 | Wycombe Wanderers | 16 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 23 | 68 | 0.338 | 9 | |
| 9 | Southall | 16 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 22 | 68 | 0.324 | 9 |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Promotion-relegation test matches
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. Both matches resulted in 0-0 draws, and both Division One teams retained their places in the top division. However, although Brentford were promoted, Grays United were not after refusing to play extra-time in their match against Watford.[1]
| Division One clubs | v | Division Two clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Watford | 0 – 0 | Grays United |
|---|---|---|
Football League elections
Only one Southern League club, Bristol City, applied for election to Division Two of the Football League. They were successful after finishing in second place in the ballot.[2]