Beyond the confines of Magpie headquarters there has been genuine concern for Meg Hutchins, a veteran Victorian Women's Football League player hired by the Pies in April to steer planning and operations around the AFL heavyweight's new side.

The announcement, in May, that Graeme Allan was returning to Collingwood with similar-sounding responsibilities to the unique role Hutchins had only just stepped into, raised eyebrows. Concerns about women's football and game development figures grew this week in light of McGuire's Triple M interview that was widely condemned as sexist and tacitly endorsing violence.

Conscious of the uncharted territory Hutchins has stepped into at an Australian sporting powerhouse, many of her backers are keeping a watchful eye at a distance.

There is a sense in the industry – which McGuire and Pies CEO Gary Pert would firmly contest – that Collingwood is a relative newcomer to supporting women's football, even if the club has been most proactive and vocal in its enthusiasm for the new AFL women's league.

Amid this backdrop Fairfax Media has learnt that McGuire initiated two face-to-face meetings with Hutchins before bringing forward a pre-arranged European trip with his family.

The president, who also explained himself at a scheduled Collingwood board meeting this week, is said to have initiated both meetings with Hutchins.

Saying he was "emotionally and physically flattened" before leaving Melbourne, McGuire withdrew from hosting Thursday night's Adelaide-North Melbourne match coverage on Fox Footy and will miss his club's Friday night clash with Fremantle at the MCG.

Typically as president he would have hosted a function, but Magpie vice-president Mark Korda was to host the official dinner in McGuire's absence. Hutchins was due to attend the dinner as a guest.

In discussions with Hutchins before he left town, it's understood McGuire relayed a level of remorse that was captured in his third public apology over a matter that made national headlines this week.

Hutchins is said to be highly enthused about her role and experiences at Collingwood to date and Fairfax is in no way suggesting otherwise.

It's understood that in recent days she has reassured football figures outside the club that she feels as supported and buoyed as ever in her pioneering role. She has spoken positively about conversation she has had with McGuire and how the club has responded to the week generally.

Talking about women's football broadly, Western Bulldogs vice-president Susan Alberti stressed on Friday how critical it is that all AFL clubs are genuinely female friendly, particularly those that are now on the verge of fielding women teams.

The Bulldogs are among eight clubs that will feature in the new, national AFL women's competition that will see lists assemble in November for an eight-week competition to start in February.

"This is about getting the culture right within all clubs so that women who join these clubs feel safe in the culture they're entering," Alberti said.

"I don't want to single out one club. I'm not the CEO of the AFL. But I'm worried about our young women. I don't mind which club they go to – go for it, be professional, earn money and make a career – but they've got to be well looked after. Just like the men.

"We're new, we're getting started. Let's get it right from the ground up. Let's get it right now so we don't have to re-visit this."

Alberti said Collingwood's position as winner of a foundation women's team licence should not be questioned as a result of the week's events. She said she is entirely confident her club is a prime example of a good home: "I wouldn't hang around if they weren't. I don't put up with nonsense."