Four Edmonton foosball players are hoping to raise the profile of the popular pub game, one international win at a time.

In early January, Team Canada's Darcy Scaife, Christian Dunn, Ben Wilkins and Will Stranks - along with three other Canadian players -travelled to France to compete in the World Cup of Foosball.

The group returned home as second-division champions, carrying with them a trophy and the honour of being gold medallists.

The big win meant the team will move up to the first division and play the world's best in next year's cup, but it also meant Canada was given some serious props among those who love the game.

"I think it's kind of the reason we all bound together to go on this trip." Scaife said from his home in north Edmonton. "In the end, we realized we had to get there to show the world what we can do and also to kind of help grow the sport here."

According to Scaife, a 31-year-old information technology manager, foosball is much more than a pastime enjoyed over a few brews. It's a sport that often goes unsung, and Team Canada hopes to raise the status of foosball in the country by continuing to win competitions around the world, he said.

Their ultimate goal is to bring foosball up to the level of professional pool, where it becomes more about the mental strength, strategic execution and quick reaction times.

"In Europe, it's looked at as a sport," said teammate Dunn 27. "Once you see it and the way it can be played, that sort of stigma disappears."

To reach their goal, Scaife's kitchen has become a sort of practice pitch for the team. Instead of a dining set, there's a grey marble table with little yellow and black figures that spin around above painted green turf.

Scaife, like his six teammates, is serious about training hard and winning big.

Team Canada veteran Stranks, 27, said the idea of professional foosball is often met with a chuckle. But when people hear the World Cup is broadcast in Europe to 50 million homes, their reaction changes.

"They think you're joking, but they also think it's pretty awesome," Stranks said.

Individually, the team members train an hour or two per day. Some-times, when two or more of the group get together, they can spend up to nine hours testing out strategies and practising moves.

Often, they also study DVDs, books, and other professional players to improve their game.

"One of the comparisons is it's like high-speed, live-action chess," said Wilkins, 24, who spent four to eight hours a day playing foosball in his first year of training.

"It's a thinking sport more than anything," Wilkins continued. "And it's fun to be able to show that to people."

To become a part of Team Canada, all of the members had to be voted in by tight-knit Canadian foosball community.

It was a tough selection process, but Dunn hopes it becomes even tougher. "Growing the sport is big for me," he said. "The biggest thing is growing the player base."

By winning more tournaments, like the upcoming tournament they will attend in Las Vegas in March, Scaife is eager to see Team Canada get more recognition and draw more competitors to the sport.

"Having a bigger pool of players to draw from would be exciting," he said.

aash@edmontonjournal.com

Twitter.com/AmandaAsh