College championship
College football national championship – Yale Bulldogs
International football
West Auckland Town, an English amateur team, defeats FC Winterthur of Switzerland 2–0 to win the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, one of the earliest international club competitions
Brazil
4 April — Sport Club Internacional is founded in Porto Alegre
England
The Football League – Newcastle United 53 points, Everton 46, Sunderland 44, Blackburn Rovers 41, The Wednesday 40, Woolwich Arsenal 38
FA Cup final – Manchester United 1–0 Bristol City at Crystal Palace, London
Germany
National Championship – Phönix Karlsruhe 4–2 Viktoria Berlin at Breslau
Romania
Formation of the Romanian Football Federation (Federaţia Română de Fotbal or FRF)
Scotland
Scottish Football League – Celtic
Scottish Cup final – competition cancelled following a riot at a replay between Rangers and Celtic; the first match was drawn 2–2 and the replay ended 1–1
Spain
Formation of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol or RFEF). It is originally known as the Federación Española de Clubs de Football.
23 August — Fred ‘Tenby’ Davies (Wales) defeats Bert Day (Ireland) at Pontypridd to become world champion over the half-mile distance run.
VFL Premiership
South Melbourne wins the 13th VFL Premiership: South Melbourne 4.14 (38) d Carlton 4.12 (36) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
Bandy
Sweden
Championship final – AIK 7–3 Djurgårdens IF
World Series
8–16 October — Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeats Detroit Tigers (AL) to win the 1909 World Series by 4 games to 3
Events
19 June — Monte Attell wins the World Bantamweight Championship joining his brother Abe Attell, who holds the World Featherweight Championship, as the first pair of brothers to hold world titles simultaneously.
Lineal world champions
World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Johnson
World Light Heavyweight Championship – vacant
World Middleweight Championship – Stanley Ketchel
World Welterweight Championship – vacant
World Lightweight Championship – Battling Nelson
World Featherweight Championship – Abe Attell
World Bantamweight Championship – Jimmy Walsh → "Fighting" Jimmy Reagan → Monte Attell
Grey Cup
4 December — 1st Grey Cup – University of Toronto Varsity Blues 26–6 Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club.
Events
15 June — representatives of England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's to form the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC)
England
County Championship – Kent
Minor Counties Championship – Wiltshire
Most runs – Ernie Hayes 2105 @ 36.29 (HS 276)
Most wickets – Colin Blythe 215 @ 14.54 (BB 9–42)
Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Warren Bardsley, Sydney Barnes, Douglas Carr, Arthur Day, Vernon Ransford
Australia
Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
Most runs – Vernon Ransford 825 @ 103.12 (HS 182)
Most wickets – Jack O'Connor 40 @ 23.00 (BB 7–36)
India
Bombay Triangular – Europeans
New Zealand
Plunket Shield – Auckland
South Africa
Currie Cup – Western Province
West Indies
Inter-Colonial Tournament – Barbados
Tour de France
François Faber (Luxembourg) wins the 7th Tour de France
Giro d'Italia
Luigi Ganna (Italy) wins the inaugural Giro d'Italia
Events
30 November — a goal is scored in the St. Andrew's Day match at Eton College, the last time this has happened in the St. Andrew's Day game (the most important match of the year) though points have been scored by other methods
World Figure Skating Championships
World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)
World Women's Champion – Lily Kronberger (Hungary)
World Pairs Champions – Phyllis Johnson and James H. Johnson (Great Britain)
Major tournaments
British Open – John Henry Taylor
US Open – George Sargent
Other tournaments
British Amateur – Robert Maxwell
US Amateur – Robert A. Gardner
England
Grand National – Lutteur III
1,000 Guineas Stakes – Electra
2,000 Guineas Stakes – Minoru
Epsom Derby – Minoru
Epsom Oaks – Perola
St. Leger Stakes – Bayardo
Australia
Melbourne Cup – Prince Foote
Canada
Queen's Plate – Shimonese
Ireland
Irish Grand National – Little Hack II
Irish Derby Stakes – Bachelor's Double
USA
Kentucky Derby – Wintergreen
Preakness Stakes – Effendi
Belmont Stakes – Joe Madden
Stanley Cup
March — Ottawa Hockey Club wins the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) championship and the Stanley Cup.
March — Renfrew Creamery Kings win the Federal Hockey League championship and challenge for the Stanley Cup, but cannot play because the Stanley Cup trustees rule their players are ineligible.
Amateur hockey
February — the Allan Cup is donated to be the amateur championship hockey trophy of Canada
March — Ottawa Cliffsides win the Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union (IPAHU) and the Allan Cup. The Cliffsides then lose a challenge to Queen's College of Kingston, Ontario.
Professional hockey
25 November — Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) disbands over the plans of the Montreal Wanderers to change rinks. The Wanderers are shut out and the new Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) is formed with the remainder of the ECHA teams. The CHA will disband in January 1910.
2 December — The Montreal Wanderers form the National Hockey Association (NHA) with the Renfrew Creamery Kings, Cobalt Silver Kings and Haileybury Comets of the Temiscaming league. The NHA owners also organize a new team Les Canadiens which is the basis of today's Montreal Canadiens. The NHA will absorb Ottawa and the Montreal Shamrocks of the CHA in January 1910.
Grand Prix racing
There is no Grand Prix racing from 1909 to 1911
Vanderbilt Cup
The 5th running of the Vanderbilt Cup is the only major race in 1909. It is again run at Long Island over 258.06 miles (23.460 miles x 11 laps). The winner is Harry Grant (USA) driving an ALCO-Berliet.
Events
12 August — the first event is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Boat Race
3 April — Oxford wins the 66th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
International
10 February — Great Britain defeats Australia to claim the first ever Ashes series in the final match of the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
England
Championship – Wigan
Challenge Cup final – Wakefield Trinity 17–0 Hull at Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Lancashire League Championship – Wigan
Yorkshire League Championship – Halifax
Lancashire Cup – Wigan 10–9 Oldham
Yorkshire Cup – Halifax 9–5 Hunslet
Australia
14 September — NSW Premiership is won by minor premiers South Sydney on a forfeit after Balmain withdraws from the grand final
Home Nations Championship
27th Home Nations Championship series is won by Wales
Wales defeats France in a 1909 non-championship match. It is later retrospectively regarded as a Grand Slam winner.
October 8 – The first rugby football match to be played at Twickenham Stadium is won by the Harlequins when they defeat Richmond at the brand new ground.
Speed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Oscar Mathisen (Norway)
Australia
Australian Men's Singles Championship – Anthony Wilding (NZ) defeats Ernie Parker (Australia) 6–1 7–5 6–2
England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Gore (GB) defeats Josiah Ritchie (GB) 6–8 1–6 6–2 6–2 6–2
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Dora Boothby defeats Agnes Morton 6–4 4–6 8–6
France
French Men's Singles Championship – Max Decugis defeats Maurice Germot: details unknown
French Women's Singles Championship – Jeanne Matthey defeats Gallay: details unknown
USA
American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned defeats William Clothier 6–1 6–2 5–7 1–6 6–1
American Women's Singles Championship – Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman defeats Maud Barger-Wallach 6–0 6–1
Davis Cup
1909 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – Australasia 5–0 United States at Double Bay Grounds (grass) Sydney, Australia
