The 1983 South Australian National Football League season was the 104th, since 1877, of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Australian rules football competition.

The season commenced on Saturday 2 April 1983, and concluded on Saturday 1 October 1983 with the SANFL Grand Final at Football Park with West Adelaide defeating Sturt by 34 points to claim their eighth premiership and first since 1961.

Concurrently with the early rounds of the premiership season, the SANFL also ran the Escort Cup night competition with games usually being played mid-week. The Grand Final of the Cup, played under lights at the Thebarton Oval, saw West Torrens win their first competition since they won the 1953 SANFL Grand Final when they defeated South Adelaide 7.15 (57) to 5.7 (37).

With Football Park having lights installed by the 1984 SANFL season, this would be the final time that the night competition would be held at the suburban grounds of Thebarton and Norwood Oval's. From 1984 all night competition games would be held at the league's headquarters. Night football would not return to suburban grounds until the early 2000s when some Norwood home games were scheduled to be held under lights at Norwood Oval.

Highlights of the season fixture include:

• A 22-round home and away competition
• A Grand Final rematch between Norwood and Glenelg, to be played on 25 April (Anzac Day) at Football Park
• South Adelaide also hosted Sturt on Anzac Day at the Adelaide Oval.

• Rick Davies (Sturt) – 151 (SANFL record)
• Neville Roberts (Norwood) – 111 (first Norwood player to kick 100 goals in an SANFL season)
• Grenville Dietrich (North Adelaide) – 109
• Roger Luders (West Adelaide) – 105 (first West Adelaide player to kick 100 goals in an SANFL season)