Gaelic Games/ The Cork players' strike: Hopes of a last-chance resolution to save Cork's participation in the National Football and Hurling Leagues were still alive last night when county board delegates voted unanimously in favour of entering into binding arbitration in a final effort to resolve the players' strike.

This had been proposed earlier in the day by Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey, and was part of the lengthy document originally put to county and player representatives, although it wasn't actually reached in previous deliberations.

Binding arbitration is an alternative to judges or courts settling disputes between parties, and works out a deal through an independent third party, with the arbitrator's decision final, and cannot be disputed or appealed.

"I would like both parties to give some consideration to an item that appeared on one of the documents that I presented during our discussions," Mulvey stated earlier yesterday. "That is binding arbitration. I suggested this as a way out for both parties, but it was never explored. Maybe now is the time for this to happen."

When this was put to last night's meeting of the county board delegates it was approved on a vote of 96-13, and Mulvey was immediately contacted to set up the arbitration. A statement read by Cork press officer Bob Ryan outlined the main issues of the meeting.

"The board officers gave a report on the up-to-date position, and a full debate, constructive debate, with a wide range of opinions, took place," he said.

"The board officers recommended that we enter into binding arbitration in an effort to finally resolve this impasse, and contact has been made with Kieran Mulvey. He did indicate today that he would be open to this, and we see this as the final chance to resolve this issue.

"We now wait on the player's side to enter arbitration. I would imagine he will contact the players. It's in all our interests, both the players and ourselves and the wider Cork public to resolve this as soon as possible, and we would hope this would happen in a very short time.

"There is a chance of Sunday's match going ahead. I couldn't imagine arbitration taking very long. We have proposed it, we have voted on it, and we are buying into binding arbitration. The situation is that both sides sign off on it at the start and whatever is agreed, that's it."

Ryan also confirmed a proposal for Teddy Holland to step down failed to get a seconder: "This is the last chance saloon, the binding arbitration. We're entering this in the best interests of the GAA in Cork.

"We don't want this dispute going on because it's going to tear the county apart and we don't want that. We want our players out on the field as soon as possible."

The county board also hoped that Croke Park would facilitate this latest development by giving Cork as much time as possible to confirm their participation in this weekend's National league fixtures.

In the meantime it was agreed the county executive would reconvene tomorrow to reassess developments.

There had been strong speculation earlier yesterday that last night's county board meeting would centre on the possible removal of Holland as senior football manager. The meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh was attended by almost all 130 club delegates, but Holland, who was out of the country on business, had not issued any statement of his potential resignation.

This had been seen as the only possible way to bring about an end to the long-running players' strike before Cork were expelled from the National leagues.

However, delegates arriving at last night's meeting, who were greeted by a small demonstration of player support, complete with bagpipes and banners, were typically tight-lipped about the potential outcome.

The few who did comment were adamant Holland was not about to resign - even though his stepping aside was clearly the only possible resolution.

Speaking before the meeting, Ryan was also adamant Holland would not be resigning: "I would like to put two rumours doing the rounds to bed," he said. "Teddy Holland did not meet the executive of the county board last night and is not resigning."

Last night's decision to enter binding arbitration, provided it is agreed by the players, will effectively make or break Cork's participation in both the football and hurling leagues, as both teams have already missed one game. Both are due out again this weekend - and failure to fulfil those fixtures will inevitably end their interest in the league.

The Cork footballers, unanimously backed by the county's hurlers, have always maintained there was no way they would play under Holland, who they claim took the job in full knowledge of their dissatisfaction with the new rule regarding the appointment of team selectors.

Clearly if they do enter arbitration then they may yet be forced to do exactly that. In their statement issued last Friday, the football and hurling panellists made it clear that both Holland, and the four selectors, would have to go before they would resume playing, but also not unless "the recently adopted system of appointing selectors has been satisfactorily dealt with".