Sydney Swans great Adam Goodes could have extended his career into a remarkable 19^th season, according to outgoing chief executive Andrew Ireland.

The four-time All Australian played 372 games for Sydney, including two premierships, two Brownlow Medals, three Bob Skilton Medals, among multiple other achievements.

Goodes retired at the end of the 2015 season after having to cope with repeated booing from opposition crowds.

Ireland believes the Swans champion could have played another year if not for the booing.

“It certainly impacted (the booing), there is no doubt about that,” Ireland said.

“I reckon if it hadn’t happened it was debatable whether he could have played another year or would have wanted to play another year.

“In the end it was solely the booing that made up his mind that he wouldn’t play another year and to me that is sad.

“People might debate at that age whether he could or should have played the next year but it shouldn’t have been for that reason that he didn’t play.”

Ireland said racism was still an issue the game was dealing with and it was a broader issue than just in the AFL community.

“I genuinely think there is a huge undertone of racism that certainly exists in Australia, it hasn’t gone away, and football is only one part of Australian society,” Ireland said.

“It’s not unusual that we will have people come to the football and have these racial issues and we have seen it over the last few years with issues with Eddie Betts and the like.

“When you are at a Club, there’s a large amount if vitriol and letters that come to the Club that our people would open, and Adam wouldn’t have seen.

“The police have been involved to see some people about the things they have said around Australia because it is inappropriate, it’s racist and it’s just not good enough.”