AFL CHIEF executive officer Gillon McLachlan is optimistic about how Adam Goodes will be received if he returns to playing this weekend.
Goodes will return to training on Tuesday afternoon after having a week off from the game.
There is confidence he will be in the Sydney Swans' team for the Saturday night's match against the Cats at Simonds Stadium.
The issue of opposition fans booing Goodes and concerns about a racist element to the abuse came to a head after the Swans' loss to West Coast in Perth two weekends ago.
That prompted a heated national debate about the issue.
There was widespread support for Goodes at last weekend's matches.
"I'm looking forward to Adam coming back and playing," McLachlan said on Tuesday.
"I'm looking forward to the people of Geelong, the supporters of Geelong and the Sydney supporters wrapping their arms around him.
"That's been an emphatic statement over the last week.
"From where we were a week ago to where we are now, and the way our industry has been able to navigate this ... I'm really optimistic about the way Adam is going to be received this weekend."
He also called on Cats fans to take note of the support for Goodes last weekend across the League.
"We had an extraordinary coming together of our industry last weekend and hopefully the Geelong crowd respects and continues that," he said.
AFL Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick released a statement about Goodes on Monday night following a media report that said the commission had divided opinions on the issue.
He and McLachlan were insistent that Goodes has unanimous support from the commission.
"We have a unified commission," McLachlan said.
"In an issue like this, you're going to have lots of different views.
"All I can talk to is (that) over the course of the week, when we've taken a whole series of different views and diverse perspective, we sit here as an industry united.
"(We are) clear about the messaging, clear about our view on this issue."
McLachlan would not be drawn on why it took Fitzpatrick a week to make his statement.
"Mike made the statement he wanted to make about how he views this issue," McLachlan said.
McLachlan was speaking at the launch of Multicultural Round.
"We have a massive opportunity to make a great statement again this weekend," he said.
But McLachlan admitted the AFL had ground to make up on showing respect for all players.
"We've had a clear mandate from our industry now that there's a zero tolerance to racism," he said.
"There's a clear mandate that the treatment of Adam Goodes has been unacceptable and we have to get that respect back in our game.
"We have to embrace all of our players.
"It's been a complicated week, but where we've gotten to over the last seven days is an extraordinary statement of our industry."
Meanwhile, the Swans believe Geelong can provide a smooth return for Goodes.
Former Cats captain and now Swans general manager Tom Harley said if there were two clubs who enjoyed mutual respect it was the Swans and Geelong.
"The Cats have been in contact with us as early as last Monday, which to me would provide an insight for everyone into the way they operate as a footy club ... They just want to do what is right," he said on Sky Sports Radio.
"The one group, if you like, that can influence supporters is the club itself and Geelong is a unique AFL club."
Harley, a two-time premiership-winning captain for Geelong, said he was confident the crowd would be welcoming to the Swans and Goodes.
"The [Geelong] CEO Brian Cook talks a lot about the 'Geelong way' and he said quite clearly last week that extended to the supporter group; Chris Scott their coach implored the same."
Harley said the Swans' show of support for Goodes, including a standing ovation in the SCG as an act of solidarity, was proof that attitudes could, and were, changing.
"You saw it with our supporter base on Saturday. It was an uplifting couple of hours. The atmosphere was created by the supporters and the respect that they showed for the situation," he said.
