The 1996–97 Hong Kong First Division League season was the 86th since its establishment. The season began on 7 September 1996 and ended on 8 June 1997.
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | South China |
| Relegated | Eastern |
| Matches played | 84 |
| Goals scored | 280 (3.33 per match) |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
First stage edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Instant-Dict (G) | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 9 | +27 | 31 |
| 2 | South China | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 31 |
| 3 | Uhlsport Rangers | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 15 |
| 4 | Golden | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 15 |
| 5 | Sing Tao | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | Happy Valley | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 11 |
| 7 | Eastern (R) | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 33 | −23 | 5 |
Second stage edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South China (G) | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 9 | +24 | 30 |
| 2 | Instant-Dict | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 5 | +21 | 29 |
| 3 | Golden | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 20 |
| 4 | Happy Valley | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 15 |
| 5 | Sing Tao | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 19 | −3 | 12 |
| 6 | Uhlsport Rangers | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 33 | −21 | 8 |
| 7 | Eastern (R) | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 27 | −17 | 4 |
Final edit
| Instant-Dict | 2 –2 2 – 3 (AET) | South China |
|---|---|---|
Greer  11'Foster 40' |
Tempest 23' Cheng Siu Chung 90' 106' |
| First Division League 1996–97 winners |
|---|
| South China 35th title |