The 1997 Premier Development Soccer League season was its 3rd. The season began in April 1997 and ended in August 1997.
Central Coast Roadrunners successfully defended the championship, defeating the Cocoa Expos 3-2. Spokane Shadow won the regular season title, winning 14 games to 2 losses.
Changes from 1996 season
Name changes
Miami Tango changed their name to Miami Breakers. Puget Sound Hammerheads merged with the D-3 Pro's Everett BigFoot to become Puget Sound BigFoot. Southern California Gunners changed their name to Southern California Chivas.
New teams
6 teams were added for the season.
Teams Leaving
The Nashville Metros were promoted to the A League. The Arizona Sahuaros (formerly the Arizona Phoenix), Austin Lone Stars, Fort Lauderdale Strikers (formerly Florida Strikers), and San Francisco Bay Seals were promoted to the D-3 Pro League.
6 teams folded after the 1996 season: Birmingham Grasshoppers Fontana Falcons Oklahoma City Heat Orlando Lions Roanoke River Dawgs San Diego Top Guns
The Wichita Blue went on hiatus for this year, and the Willamette Valley Firebirds went on hiatus for the next two years.
Standings
Central Conference
Central Division
North Central Division
Eastern Conference
Mid-South Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Southwest Division
Playoffs
Format
Central Coast received a bye to the PDL Semifinals as the defending champion. The top four teams from every division except the Southwest earn playoff spots. With Central Coast already receiving a bye, the top two teams from the Southwest Division will play each other, however if Central Coast is in the top two, then the third place team receives a playoff spot. The Division winners would then face each other in the Conference finals.