He began his career with Burslem Port Vale in 1891 and played in the inaugural season of the Second Division.

[2] He married Elizabeth Paulina Cousens in 1898 and had five children: Alice, John, Edwin (who also became a professional footballer), William and Lena.

[1] He made his debut in a Midland League match on 10 October 1891, in a 4–1 defeat at Burton Wanderers.

[1] He started the 1893–94 season with a brace against Manchester City, and then hit a hat-trick past Small Heath in a 5–0 home win on 25 September.

[1] Beats scored seven goals in 31 appearances in the 1894–95 season, as Vale struggled, finishing above only Crewe Alexandra in the league.

[1] In June 1895, he was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £80 transfer fee, who went on to narrowly avoid the First Division test matches in 1895–96.

He played at Crystal Palace in the 1896 FA Cup final, which ended in a 2–1 defeat to The Wednesday following a brace from Fred Spiksley.

[3] In August 1906, Beats returned to Port Vale and set a club record that would stand until October 2019 for the longest time between appearances for the club, as there was a gap of 11 years and 4 months between the last game of his first spell in May 1895 and the first game of his second spell in September 1906.