The first Swiss football championship was held 1897–98. The championship was not organized by the Swiss Football Association (SFA; founded in 1895) and is therefore considered as unofficial. The tournament was organized by the Geneva newspaper La Suisse Sportive and its editors François-Jean Dégérine and Dr. Aimé Schwob. The championship trophy was donated by the company Ruinart.[1] Only four of the clubs competing were members of the SFA; FC Château de Lancy, Grasshopper Club Zürich, Neuchâtel FC and La Villa Ouchy).[2] The series A was divided into three regional groups, group A in the north, group B the district around Lausanne and group C district of Genève). The winner of each group qualified for the finals.
