POULSBO — The old Memorial Day weekend soccer tournament is so last decade that if you ask a youth soccer player what a Viking Cup is, they’d probably say a cream cheese-filled cinnamon roll from Sluys Bakery.

Ah, but the Viking Cup soccer tournament, which traditionally attracted teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, is returning. Look for 40 teams of all levels — premier, select, developmental and summer tournament — to converge on Poulsbo this Memorial Day weekend.

This will be the first Viking Cup since 2010, when the 25th tournament was played. The 2011 event was cancelled because tournament play conflicted with  the practice schedule allowed by youth soccer’s sanctioning organization, Washington Youth Soccer.

Thus, a change: The old tournament was open to U11 on up. “This year, we’re looking at 9 and 10s,” said Laura Alikpala, president of North Kitsap Soccer Club, the host organization. “We’re shooting for 40 teams. It’s been so long since we’ve had the tournament, we don’t want to over-promise and not deliver. But it’s part of our five-year plan. We hope to have a solid showing to build up the momentum to grow the tournament up to its heyday.”

During that heyday, when teams were allowed to start practicing in March, the tournament attracted as many as 200 teams and netted the North Kitsap Soccer Club $12,000 to $15,000 for its programs, according to a 2011 Herald story.

Aaron Vernik, former North Kitsap Soccer Club president and a U15 and U18 coach, is excited that the tournament is returning. “It certainly wasn’t a happy day when we cancelled due to changes in the state calendar. It was an institution here for so many years,” he said.

He said the tournament was good for youth soccer and good for Poulsbo. “It’s pretty exciting. You get to play teams you might not always see in league play,” Vernik said. “Poulsbo has always been great. We worked with the city, the hotels, the visitors bureau. It affected more than the families and players. It was always a great thing for the entire area.”

Alikpala’s daughter, Maggie Alikpala-Wilson, is a Viking Cup veteran who went on to play for Bellevue College before transferring to Academy of Art San Francisco, where she’s a sophomore goalkeeper.

Alikpala said Viking Cup organizers are inviting teams from across Kitsap and “we’ll also be reaching out across the bridge.” She said tournament play is expected to take place at North Kitsap Stadium and Strawberry Fields. It will be a lively atmosphere, she said, with vendors and activities for families.

She echoed Vernik’s comments that the Viking Cup is a good experience for younger players. “That’s where we’re seeing most of the growth [in youth soccer,” she said. “There’s not that many [tournaments] for the younger players, and they’re just as competitive as the rest of them.”

NOTEBOOK: “For the Love of the Game,” an auction and fundraiser for the North Kitsap Soccer Club, is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 11 in the Clearwater Casino Resort’s Tower Ballroom. Tickets are $40 per person. Proceeds from the auction will go toward the Nick Brooke Memorial Scholarship, which helps soccer players in need meet their participation costs. Tickets will include dinner, two drink tickets, live music, dancing, and auction. Rooms have been reserved at a reduced rate at the casino resort hotel. To buy a ticket or donate an auction item, email awards@northkitsapsoccer.org.