1908–09 in English football

The 1908–09 season was the 38th season of competitive football in England.

Overview
Tottenham Hotspur played their first ever season in the Football League, gaining promotion to the First Division in the process. Spurs, along with Bradford Park Avenue entered the Second Division to replace Lincoln City and Stoke.

This year started a new competition: the Charity Shield; a match between the champion of the Professional League vs. the champion of the Amateur League. The first championship went to Manchester United, in a replayed final against Queens Park Rangers.

Events

 * 5 December 1908– Sunderland defeat Newcastle United 9-1, after the game was tied 1-1 at half-time. This is the joint biggest away victory in the top division in Football League history. The win was even more remarkable as Newcastle were league champions that season winning the title by 7 points from Everton, conceding only 41 goals all season.

Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition

National team
The England national football team had a very successful season, with victory in the 1909 British Home Championship due to a whitewash of the other Home Nations and three heavy victories during a tour of Central Europe for the second year running.

Players
The players chosen for the tour were:

Key

 * GK — Goalkeeper
 * RB — Right back
 * LB — Left back
 * CB — Centre back
 * CH — Centre half
 * LH — Left half
 * RH — Right half
 * RW — Right winger
 * LW — Left winger
 * FW — Forward
 * CF — Centre forward