| Competition: | Latvian Higher League |
| Season: | 1997 |
| Winners: | Skonto FC |
| Continentalcup1: | UEFA Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Skonto FC |
| Continentalcup2: | UEFA Cup |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Torpedo Riga |
| Continentalcup3: | Cup Winners' Cup |
| Continentalcup3 Qualifiers: | FK Liepajas Metalurgs |
| Continentalcup4: | UEFA Intertoto Cup |
| Continentalcup4 Qualifiers: | Dinaburg FC |
| League Topscorer: |  David Chaladze (25 goals) |
| Prevseason: | 1996 |
| Nextseason: | 1998 |
The 1997 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the seventh domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Ninth teams competed in this edition, with Skonto FC claiming the title.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skonto FC | 25 | |
| 2 | Skonto FC | 14 | |
| 3 | Skonto FC | 11 | |
| 4 | Dinaburg FC | 10 | |
| 5 | Skonto FC | 9 | |
| Daugava Rīga |
| Best | Name | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Skonto FC | ||
| Defender | Skonto FC | ||
| Midfielder | Skonto FC | ||
| Forward | Skonto FC |
| Pos | Name | Birthdate | P | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Vitālijs Astafjevs | 03.04.1971 | 14 | 1 | 1 | - |
| MF | Vladimirs Babičevs | 22.04.1968 | 16 | - | 3 | - |
| DF | Oļegs Blagonadeždins | 16.05.1973 | 18 | 1 | 1 | - |
| MF | Imants Bleidelis | 16.08.1975 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | David Chaladze | 22.01.1976 | 20 | 25 | 2 | - |
| MF | Valērijs Ivanovs | 23.02.1970 | 17 | - | - | - |
| MF | Vladimirs Koļesņičenko | 04.05.1980 | 12 | 3 | - | - |
| GK | Aleksandrs Koļiņko | 18.06.1975 | 12 | 0 | 1 | - |
| MF | Juris Laizāns | 06.01.1979 | 2 | - | - | - |
| GK | Raimonds Laizāns | 05.08.1964 | 12 | 0 | 7 | - |
| - | Vsevolods Līdaks | 22.10.1977 | 4 | - | - | - |
| FW |  Mihails Miholaps | 24.08.1974 | 17 | 14 | - | - |
| FW | Marians Pahars | 05.08.1976 | 22 | 5 | - | - |
| - |  Aleksandr Pindejev | 03.03.1971 | 9 | - | - | - |
| MF | Alexander Rekhviashvili | 06.08.1974 | 13 | 2 | 2 | - |
| DF | Levan Silagadze | 04.08.1976 | 19 | - | 1 | 1 |
| FW | Igors Sļesarčuks | 31.03.1976 | 1 | - | - | - |
| - | Sergey Solovjov | 03.04.1978 | 20 | 11 | 3 | - |
| DF | Igors Stepanovs | 21.01.1976 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| DF | Jurijs Ševļakovs | 24.01.1959 | 19 | - | 1 | - |
| FW | Andrejs Štolcers | 08.07.1974 | 23 | 9 | 1 | - |
| DF | Mihails Zemļinskis | 21.12.1969 | 21 | 6 | 4 | - |
| Manager: Aleksandrs Starkovs |