The 1942 South Australian National Football League season was the first of three SANFL seasons played under reduced club numbers during World War II.
The premiership was won by Port-Torrens, the merger between Port Adelaide and West Torrens.
Attendances during World War II were inflated due to servicemen being granted free entry.
[1] The Pacific theatre of World War II had escalated dramatically since the 1941 season, and Australia was heavily committed to the war effort by this time, making football a secondary consideration.
Nevertheless, the Allied Forces Welfare Coordinating Committee appealed for the SANFL to stage matches for the entertainment of troops and civilians,[2] and in late April, only two weeks prior to the start of the season, final arrangements were made for a reduced season featuring four merged teams, each representing a pair of geographically close clubs.