The 1996–97 Ukrainian Amateur Cup was the inaugural annual season of Ukraine's football knockout competition for amateur football teams. The competition started on 29 September 1996 and concluded on 8 June 1997.
The creation of the tournament was part of the 1996 Ukrainian Cup reform which restricted participation of clubs that are not part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine (created earlier in May of 1996) such as those representing regions. After this reform only winners of the Ukrainian Amateur Cup were allowed to compete in the Ukrainian Cup in the following season considering that they remain at non-professional status.
The tournament winner FC Domobudivnyk Chernihiv qualified for the 1997–98 Ukrainian Cup.
Eight regions did not provide any teams for the tournament among which were Crimea and oblasts of Cherkasy, Kherson Luhansk, Poltava, Rivne, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhia.