| 1897 VFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
 Essendon 1897 VFL premiership team | |
| Date | 8 May—4 September 1897 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers | Essendon 1st premiership |
| Runners-up | Geelong 1st runners-up result |
| Minor premiers | Geelong 1st minor premiership |
| Leading goalkicker medallist | Eddy James (Geelong) Jack Leith (Melbourne) 22 goals |
| Matches played | 62 |
The 1897 VFL season was the inaugural season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season ran from 8 May to 4 September, comprising a 14-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top four clubs. Eight Victorian Football Association (VFA) clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda – featured in the inaugural season after seceding from the VFA in 1896.
Essendon won the inaugural premiership after winning all three of its finals matches, with Geelong finishing as runners-up with two wins. Geelong won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with an 11–3 win–loss record. Geelong's Eddy James and Melbourne's Jack Leith tied for the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkickers.