The 1996–97 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won for the first time in their history by Herne Bay,[5] who completed a League and Cup double.
The competition was contested by the 21 teams from the Division One over five rounds: the first three were a single match knock-out followed by the semi-finals on an aggregate basis (home and away matches) and the final match played on a neutral ground (at Folkestone Invicta F.C.
There was a League Cup competition for the teams in the section.
The division featured 20 clubs, 17 who had competed in the previous season together with three addidtional clubs:[7] Tonbridge AFC R were the division winners.
[8] The 1996–97 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by East Sussex club Hastings Town R.[9] The competition for the 20 teams from Division Two comprised five rounds: the first three were a single match knock-out followed by the semi-finals on an aggregate basis (home and away matches) and a single match final on a neutral ground (at Dover Athletic F.C.