Southern Football League Tables
1996/97 Tables◄ 1997/98 Tables ►1998/99 Tables
Southern Football League Premier Division 1997/98
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Forest Green Rovers | 42 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 93 | 55 | +38 | 89 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 80 | 42 | +38 | 84 | Runners Up |
| 3rd | Burton Albion | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 71 | - |
| 4th | Dorchester Town | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 70 | - |
| 5th | Halesowen Town | 42 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 70 | 38 | +32 | 69 | - |
| 6th | Bath City | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 72 | 51 | +21 | 69 | - |
| 7th | Worcester City | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 53 | 44 | +9 | 68 | - |
| 8th | King's Lynn | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 64 | 64 | 0 | 67 | - |
| 9th | Atherstone United | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 63 | - |
| 10th | Crawley Town | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 63 | 60 | +3 | 59 | - |
| 11th | Gloucester City | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 57 | 57 | 0 | 58 | - |
| 12th | Nuneaton Borough | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 68 | 61 | +7 | 57 | - |
| 13th | Cambridge City | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 62 | 70 | -8 | 56 | - |
| 14th | Hastings Town | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 67 | 70 | -3 | 54 | - |
| 15th | Tamworth | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 68 | 65 | +3 | 53 | - |
| 16th | Rothwell Town | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 55 | 73 | -18 | 49 | - |
| 17th | Gresley Rovers | 42 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 59 | 77 | -18 | 48 | - |
| 18th | Salisbury City | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 53 | 72 | -19 | 48 | - |
| 19th | Bromsgrove Rovers | 42 | 13 | 6 | 23 | 67 | 85 | -18 | 45 | - |
| 20th | Sittingbourne | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 47 | 66 | -19 | 44 | ▼South Div |
| 21st | Ashford Town (Kent) | 42 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 34 | 85 | -51 | 29 | ▼South Div |
| 22nd | St Leonards Stamcroft | 42 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 48 | 97 | -49 | 25 | ▼South Div |
Southern Football League Midland Division 1997/98
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Grantham Town | 40 | 30 | 4 | 6 | 87 | 39 | +48 | 94 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Ilkeston Town | 40 | 29 | 6 | 5 | 123 | 39 | +84 | 93 | ▲Runners Up |
| 3rd | Solihull Borough | 40 | 22 | 9 | 9 | 81 | 48 | +33 | 75 | - |
| 4th | Raunds Town | 40 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 73 | 44 | +29 | 68 | ►South Division |
| 5th | Wisbech Town | 40 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 79 | 56 | +23 | 67 | - |
| 6th | Moor Green | 40 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 72 | 55 | +17 | 67 | - |
| 7th | Bilston Town | 40 | 20 | 5 | 15 | 69 | 57 | +12 | 65 | - |
| 8th | Blakenall | 40 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 66 | 56 | +10 | 64 | - |
| 9th | Stafford Rangers | 40 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 60 | - |
| 10th | Redditch United | 40 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 59 | - |
| 11th | Stourbridge | 40 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 56 | 55 | +1 | 57 | - |
| 12th | Hinckley United | 40 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 59 | 56 | +3 | 56 | - |
| 13th | Brackley Town | 40 | 15 | 7 | 18 | 44 | 57 | -13 | 52 | ►South Division |
| 14th | Bedworth United | 40 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 50 | 73 | -23 | 50 | - |
| 15th | Racing Club Warwick | 40 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 49 | 56 | -7 | 42 | - |
| 16th | Shepshed Dynamo | 40 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 55 | 74 | -19 | 41 | - |
| 17th | Sutton Coldfield Town | 40 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 42 | 68 | -26 | 39 | - |
| 18th | Paget Rangers | 40 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 40 | 75 | -35 | 39 | - |
| 19th | VS Rugby | 40 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 53 | 93 | -40 | 36 | - |
| 20th | Evesham United | 40 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 48 | 94 | -46 | 30 | - |
| 21st | Corby Town | 40 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 41 | 111 | -70 | 14 | ►South Division |
Southern Football League Southern Division 1997/98
- Chelmsford City were Denied Promotion due to ground grading
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Weymouth | 42 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 107 | 48 | +59 | 98 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Chelmsford City | 42 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 86 | 39 | +47 | 95 | Runners Up |
| 3rd | Bashley | 42 | 29 | 4 | 9 | 101 | 59 | +42 | 91 | - |
| 4th | Newport (Isle of Wight) | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 72 | 34 | +38 | 84 | - |
| 5th | Fisher Athletic | 42 | 25 | 5 | 12 | 87 | 50 | +37 | 80 | - |
| 6th | Margate | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 77 | - |
| 7th | Newport | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 83 | 65 | +18 | 69 | ►Mid Division |
| 8th | Witney Town | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 74 | 58 | +16 | 69 | - |
| 9th | Clevedon Town | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 67 | ►Mid Division |
| 10th | Waterlooville | 42 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 69 | 64 | +5 | 58 | Merged |
| 11th | Dartford | 42 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 58 | - |
| 12th | Havant Town | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 65 | 70 | -5 | 53 | Merged |
| 13th | Fleet Town | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 63 | 83 | -20 | 53 | - |
| 14th | Tonbridge Angels | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 49 | 55 | -6 | 52 | - |
| 15th | Trowbridge Town | 42 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 55 | 69 | -14 | 48 | Folded |
| 16th | Erith & Belvedere | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 47 | 68 | -21 | 46 | - |
| 17th | Fareham Town | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 75 | 87 | -12 | 45 | ▼Resigned |
| 18th | Cirencester Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 63 | 88 | -25 | 43 | - |
| 19th | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 49 | 86 | -37 | 41 | ►Mid Division |
| 20th | Baldock Town | 42 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 53 | 81 | -28 | 35 | - |
| 21st | Cinderford Town | 42 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 40 | 112 | -72 | 23 | ►Mid Division |
| 22nd | Yate Town | 42 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 44 | 97 | -53 | 22 | - |
Southern Football League - End of Season Notes
|
Teams Leaving the Southern Football League |
| ▲Forest Green Rovers were Promoted to the 1998/99 Football Conference |
| - Havant Town merged with Waterlooville |
| - Waterlooville merged with Havant Town |
| ▼Fareham Town Resigned from the League and joined the Wessex League |
| ▼Trowbridge Town Resigned from the League and Folded |
-
|
Teams Joining the Southern Football League |
| ►Boston United Transferred from the Northern Premier League Premier Division |
| ▲Andover were Promoted from the Wessex League |
| ▲Bloxwich Town were Promoted from the Midland Alliance |
| ▲Folkestone Invicta were Promoted from the Kent League |
| ▲Havant & Waterlooville - formed following merger between Havant Town and Waterlooville |
| ▲Stamford were Promoted from the United Counties League |
1996/97 Tables◄ 1997/98 Tables ►1998/99 Tables