The Magpie midfielder would have required back surgery to play on in 2015 and has instead opted to call it a day after a stellar 12-year career with St Kilda and Collingwood.
Ball sat down with Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley on Wednesday and was told in plain terms that his senior opportunities would be limited next season.
That and the fact he would have faced a limited pre-season, because of the back surgery, meant that Ball has made the decision to walk away from the game.
"I still have the competitive will to play on but the team is evolving and physically I know I need everything to go right to meet my expectations and the standard required by the team," Ball said in a statement.
"To be honest, I’m at peace with the decision. If I step back and consider the sweep of my career, I've got so much to appreciate and be thankful for. I’ve had great fun, met all sorts of people, made some wonderful friends, been challenged by disappointments and injuries and derived enormous satisfaction from competing and striving for success.
"I love the game and I want to leave loving it."
Ball has battled a calf ailment for much of this season, which has restricted him to 16 matches.
Buckley said Ball had been the ultimate professional in his five seasons at the Magpies.
"It was always going to take a train to stop him, and in the end, it did," Buckley said.
"You could never ask for more from 'Bally' in terms of his preparation, the example he sets, the standard he holds himself to and the effort he brings.
"He has been an inspiration for his teammates, a wonderful player and a person of great integrity. We were fortunate to have him play in a black and white jumper."
Ball will forever be linked with fellow champions Luke Hodge and Chris Judd, having been sandwiched between the pair at pick No. 2 in the 2001 'Super Draft'.
He was a key part of the Saints' finals campaigns in the mid-to-late 2000s and played 142 games with the club between 2003 and 2009.
Ball won the 2005 Trevor Barker Award as the Saints' best and fairest, captained the club between 2006 and 2007 and was named in the All Australian team in 2005.
He joined the Magpies in 2010 and was an essential ingredient in the club's drought-breaking premiership victory that year.
The 30-year-old has taken a key role at the AFL Players' Association, is its existing president and is open to continuing at the AFLPA in 2015.
Ball will likely play his final AFL game (no. 223 overall) against Hawthorn on Friday night.
