Richmond veteran Matthew Richardson has announced his retirement from AFL football after a glittering career spanning 17 years.

The 34-year-old, who only managed six games in 2009 as a result of surgery to repair a partially torn hamstring tendon, cited ongoing troubles to his hamstring as the reason to call it quits.

Richardson had previously flagged his intentions to play another year, but after struggling through pre-season training he felt that now was the right time to bow out.

"I wanted to see how I pulled up after a few weeks of training before I made a final decision, but the hamstring is just not good," Richardson said on the club's official website.

"It hasn't felt right when I've been running and the medical prognosis with it isn't positive."

"So, weighing everything up, it is definitely the right time for me to retire."

"I didn't want to spend the last couple of years of my career riddled with injury."

Richardson will go down as one of club's greatest ever players. He played 282 matches for the Tigers and kicked 800 goals to lie second on the club's all-time leading goalkicking list behind Jack Titus (970).

He won the club's best and fairest award in 2007 and finished just two votes behind winner Adam Cooney in the 2008 Brownlow Medal count.

He was also a three-time All Australian and a member of the club's Team of the Century.

But it was his passion for the Tigers that supporters loved and it is doubtful that there has ever been a more popular player to wear the yellow and black.

"It's never easy walking away from something that you've loved doing for so long, but I consider myself fortunate to have played at such a great club as Richmond in front of such wonderfully, loyal, passionate supporters," he said.

"There are so many memories from my time at Tigerland that I will cherish."

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou congratulated Richardson on his career and said he will be sorely missed by everyone involved in the game.

"Matthew has put his heart and soul into the Richmond Football Club through more than 280 games since his debut in 1993 and has always maintained the highest standards as both a player and a sportsman for our game," Demetriou said.

"Off the field, he has been an ambassador of the highest quality for AFL football and his rapport with all supporters is testimony to his personality and good humour."

"He will be sadly missed in the 2010 season but he leaves the game with a record that is matched by few. As we do for all members of the 200-club, the AFL will offer Matthew a place as part of the pre-match Grand Final Parade at the 2010 Grand Final as one of our retiring greats, should he accept our invitation, but he leaves the game with our thanks for all that he has done."