1996–97 Football League Trophy

The Football League Trophy 1996–97, known as the Auto Windscreens Shield 1996–97 for sponsorship reasons, was the 16th staging of the Football League Trophy, a knock-out competition for English football clubs in Second and Third Division. The winners were Carlisle United and the runners-up were Colchester United.

The competition began on 7 December 1996 and ended with the final on 20 April 1997 at the Wembley Stadium.

In the first round, there were two sections: North and South. In the following rounds each section gradually eliminates teams in knock-out fashion until each has a winning finalist. At this point, the two winning finalists face each other in the combined final for the honour of the trophy.