| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Tiverton Town (Premier Division) Melksham Town (Division One) |
1997–98 → | |
The1996–97 season was the 95th in the history of theWestern Football League.
The league champions for the third time in their history (and the third time in four seasons) wereTiverton Town. The champions of Division One wereMelksham Town.[1]
The Premier Division remained at 18 clubs afterCrediton United andFrome Town were relegated to the First Division. Two clubs joined:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiverton Town(C) | 34 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 103 | 20 | +83 | 94 |
| 2 | Taunton Town | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 99 | 28 | +71 | 78 |
| 3 | Mangotsfield United | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 65 |
| 4 | Paulton Rovers | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 86 | 42 | +44 | 61 |
| 5 | Chippenham Town | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 48 |
| 6 | Brislington | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 45 |
| 7 | Calne Town | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 45 |
| 8 | Torrington | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 44 |
| 9 | Bridgwater Town | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 53 | 55 | −2 | 44 |
| 10 | Bridport | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 50 | −9 | 43 |
| 11 | Odd Down | 34 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 39[a] |
| 12 | Bideford | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 51 | 84 | −33 | 39 |
| 13 | Barnstaple Town | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 54 | 62 | −8 | 38 |
| 14 | Bristol Manor Farm | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 37 |
| 15 | Backwell United | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 42 | 55 | −13 | 36 |
| 16 | Chard Town | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 45 | 67 | −22 | 34 |
| 17 | Westbury United | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 40 | 70 | −30 | 30 |
| 18 | Elmore | 34 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 132 | −102 | 16 |
The First Division was increased from 19 clubs to 20, after Bridgwater Town and Chard Town were promoted to the Premier Division. Three clubs joined:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melksham Town(C, P) | 38 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 82 | 20 | +62 | 89 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Keynsham Town(P) | 38 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 77 | 21 | +56 | 88 | |
| 3 | Exmouth Town | 38 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 77 | 42 | +35 | 76 | |
| 4 | Clyst Rovers | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 92 | 48 | +44 | 75 | |
| 5 | Bishop Sutton | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 96 | 52 | +44 | 70 | |
| 6 | Wellington | 38 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 82 | 62 | +20 | 68 | |
| 7 | Devizes Town | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 75 | 39 | +36 | 65 | |
| 8 | Dawlish Town | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 66 | 36 | +30 | 63 | |
| 9 | Ilfracombe Town | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 62 | 44 | +18 | 57 | |
| 10 | Welton Rovers | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 68 | 59 | +9 | 52 | |
| 11 | Minehead | 38 | 16 | 4 | 18 | 61 | 56 | +5 | 52 | |
| 12 | Frome Town | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 60 | −15 | 47 | |
| 13 | Yeovil Town Reserves | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 66 | 77 | −11 | 44 | |
| 14 | Glastonbury | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 54 | 72 | −18 | 43 | |
| 15 | Crediton United | 38 | 12 | 4 | 22 | 58 | 91 | −33 | 40 | |
| 16 | Warminster Town | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 44 | 75 | −31 | 35 | |
| 17 | Larkhall Athletic | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 51 | 92 | −41 | 34 | |
| 18 | Heavitree United | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 44 | 95 | −51 | 32 | |
| 19 | Pewsey Vale | 38 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 26 | 105 | −79 | 19 | |
| 20 | Amesbury Town | 38 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 27 | 107 | −80 | 12 | Left at the end of the season |