Thailand Premier League 1997

Infobox Football league season
season = 1997
competition = Thailand Premier League
winners = Royal Thai Air Force
relegated = Royal Thai Police
Royal Thai Navy
continentalcup1 = Asian Club Championship
continentalcup1 qualifiers = Bangkok Bank FC: 1st Round
continentalcup2 = Asian Cup Winners Cup
continentalcup2 qualifiers = Royal Thai Air Force FC: 2nd Round
continentalcup3 =
continentalcup3 qualifiers =
league topscorer = flagicon|Thailand Worrawoot Srimaka (BEC Tero Sasana) (17)
biggest home win = Port Authority of Thailand 5-1 Royal Thai Army
biggest away win = Bangkok Bank 0-4
Sinthana
highest scoring = Sinthana 5-4
Thai Farmers Bank
(9 goals)
total goals =
average goals =
longest wins =
longest unbeaten =
longest losses =
highest attendance =
lowest attendance =
average attendance =
prevseason = 1996/97
nextseason = 1998

The 1997 Thailand Premier League consisted of 12 teams. The bottom club would be relegated to the Thailand Division 1 League. The club that came 11th would play in a relegation / promotion match against the club that came second in the Thailand Division 1 League

Defending Champions Bangkok Bank would enter the next edition of the Asian Club Championship.

The league was also known as the Johnnie Walker Thailand Soccer League 1997.

Member clubs

*Bangkok Bank
*Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
*Tero Sasana (Singha Tero Sasana)
*Sinthana
*Royal Thai Police
*Port Authority of Thailand
*UCOM Raj Pracha
*Royal Thai Air Force
*Royal Thai Army
*Royal Thai Navy
*Thai Farmers Bank
*TOT

Final League Table

† Royal Thai Police relegated to the Thailand Division 1 League and Osotsapa promoted to the Thailand Premier League in next season.

eason Notes

* Royal Thai Air Force were deducted three points at the end of season for refusing to play Sinthana in Suphan Buri earlier this season.

* Singha Tero Sasana changed the club's name to Tero Sasana.

* Tero Sasana represented Thailand in the Asian Club Championship 1998-99 following withdrawals by Royal Thai Air Force, Bangkok Bank and Port Authority of Thailand, all for economic reasons; Sinthana played in the Asian CWC after winning the Singha FA Cup.

* Last year's runners-up, Stock Exchange of Thailand, played as Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) owing to a change in sponsorship.

Queen's Cup

Thai Farmers Bank won and retained the Queen's Cup trophy for the 4th year running. This was the 26th edition of the competition.

For the first time, no foreign teams took part, owing to the poor economic situation.

Thawan Thammaniyai of Thai Farmers Bank won the Most Valuable Player award.

Thailand FA Cup

Sinthana FC won the Thailand FA Cup for the first time, but it is unclear whom they beat in the final.

Asian Representation

* Bangkok Bank represented Thailand in the Asian Club Championship, where they would fail in the first round, beaten by Chinese oposition in Dalian Wanda
* Royal Thai Air Force made the second round of the Asian Cup Winner's Cup, where they were beaten by near neighbours PSM Ujungpandang of Indonesia after beating Melaka Telekom of Malaysia in the first round

Awards of the Year

Coach of the Year

*flagicon|Thailand Piyapong Piew-on - Royal Thai Air Force

Player of the Year

*flagicon|Thailand Seksan Piturat - Sinthana

Top Scorer

*flagicon|Thailand Worrawoot Srimaka - BEC Tero Sasana

References

* [http://www.rsssf.com/tablest/thai97b.html Thailand 1997] RSSSF

External links

* [http://www.thaifootballleague.com/ Official Website]