Russian Second League 1997 (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Russian Second League 1997 was the 6th edition of the Second Division. There were 3 zones with 61 teams starting the competition (3 were excluded before the end of the season). This was the last season that the professional Russian Third League existed. Next season the Second League became the lowest professional level once again. The Russian Second Division is the third level of Russian professional football. The division is run by the Russian Professional Football League. The Second Division is geographically divided into 5 zones: West (Northwestern European Russia), Centre (Northern and Eastern European Russia), South (Southern European Russia), Ural-Povolzhye (Southern Urals and Western Siberia), and East (Rest of Siberia). The number of clubs in each zone varies between years. At the start of the 2009 season, there were 81 clubs in the division. The winners of each zone are automatically promoted into the First Division. The bottom finishers of each zone lose professional status and are relegated into the Amateur Football League.