Bhubaneswar: Amid the electrifying atmosphere of the ongoing Men's Hockey World League Final at Kalinga Stadium, 20 youngsters from Sundargarh district having a wonderful experience as ball boys.

All of them are aged 15 or below.

Donning yellow jerseys emblazoned with the words "Ball Patrol", they can be spotted bent on their knees and collecting and passing the balls from the the sidelines to the players. The teenagers are also engaged in the sporting equipment kept near the goalposts after the end of half-time. They need to be alert during the matches to avoid collision with players during play.

The junior-level hockey players are excited to be a part of the international tournament.

"We are able to watch the players from close. Besides, we are also picking up tricks of the game from the players. The speed at which the players are taking the ball is unbelievable," said Deepak Ekka.

Sports department officials said that all the boys are from Rourkela Sports Hostel. The ball boys reached Bhubaneswar on November 25 and will be in the city till completion of the tournament. Eight of them are being engaged for each match. They are staying at the Sports Hostel in the state capital.

Coach in charge of Rourkela Sports Hostel Milton Bilung said that the tournament would give them great exposure. "All of them underwent a one-day training in Bhubaneswar. We have deployed them in practice matches of the hostel as ball boys so that they will be able to do their work perfectly. They need to bend down on one knees so that they do not block the spectators' view," said Bilung.

Most of them hope to make it to the national team in the future.