| Conference National 1996-97 | |
| Winners: | Macclesfield Town |
|---|---|
| Runners Up: | Kidderminster Harriers |
| Relegated: | Hereford United Bath City |
| Promoted: | Macclesfield Town Leek Town |
The GM Vauxhall Conference season of 1996-97 was the eighteenth season of the Conference National.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macclesfield Town | 42 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 80 | 30 | +50 | 90 |
| 2 | Kidderminster Harriers | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 84 | 42 | +42 | 85 |
| 3 | Stevenage Borough | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 87 | 53 | +34 | 82 |
| 4 | Morecambe | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 69 | 56 | +13 | 66 |
| 5 | Woking | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 71 | 63 | +8 | 64 |
| 6 | Northwich Victoria | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 61 | 54 | +7 | 63 |
| 7 | Farnborough Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 61 |
| 8 | Hednesford Town | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 60 |
| 9 | Telford United | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 46 | 56 | -10 | 58 |
| 10 | Gateshead | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 59 | 63 | -4 | 56 |
| 11 | Southport | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 51 | 61 | -10 | 55 |
| 12 | Rushden & Diamonds | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 61 | 63 | -2 | 53 |
| 13 | Stalybridge Celtic | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 53 | 58 | -5 | 52 |
| 14 | Kettering Town | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 62 | -9 | 51 |
| 15 | Hayes | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 54 | 55 | -1 | 50 |
| 16 | Slough Town | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 62 | 65 | -3 | 50 |
| 17 | Dover Athletic | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 57 | 68 | -11 | 50 |
| 18 | Welling United | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 50 | 60 | -10 | 48 |
| 19 | Halifax Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 55 | 74 | -19 | 48 |
| 20 | Bath City | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 53 | 80 | -27 | 47 |
| 21 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 42 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 41 | 67 | -26 | 41 |
| 22 | Altrincham | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 49 | 73 | -24 | 39 |
1 The points system: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.