NEWCASTLE United are close to confirming a pre-season schedule that is set to feature a tour of South Africa.

After a successful season that saw them finish in the top five of the Premier League, the Magpies have been inundated with offers to travel the length and breadth of the world.

The Insider understands they turned down an opportunity to return to the United States as it was felt that last summer's pre-season tour contained too much travelling and too many internal flights.

However, remaining at home is not really an option as St James' Park is effectively off limits because of the Olympic football tournament.

That has resulted in Newcastle officials turning their attention to South Africa as the club has been invited to compete in the Vodacom Challenge, a four-team tournament that is hosted by the Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

The competition was in doubt until the start of this month, when Vodacom decided to renew their sponsorship.

That has led to a frantic search for a headline participant, and Newcastle are set to be well rewarded if they agree to travel to South Africa.

The Magpies are also expected to travel to Portugal to take on Sporting Lisbon prior to the start of the new campaign.

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THE inspectors were at Rockliffe Park this week assessing Middlesbrough's training facilities as part of the grading process for the new academy system.

Boro are attempting to secure category one status in the Elite Player Performance Plan, the FA's new framework for governing England's academies.

If they succeed, their academy will continue to operate as one of the leading breeding grounds in the country. If, however, they fail, they will find it hard to prevent Newcastle United and Sunderland cornering the market for the best North-East talent.

Boro chairman Steve Gibson is determined to do all he can to support the club's efforts as a successful youth system is a key plank of his financial planning.

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KAT Driscoll is close to securing a place on Great Britain's trampolining squad for this summer's Olympics Games, but the Houghton-le-Spring-based gymnast will achieve real celebrity status later this evening.

Driscoll will appear on the BBC's National Lottery show, "In It To Win It", and has been chosen to release the big-money balls.

The Insider has been in touch and expects to be a millionaire by the time next week's column is hitting the presses.

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SUNDERLAND'S official matchday programme, Red and White, has scooped another industry accolade after retaining the Programme of the Year crown in the 2011-12 Soccer Club Swap Shop Awards.

The award caps off a successful season for the publication, which also

regained the Programme of the Year title from Programme Monthly magazine.