Born in Hammersmith, London,[1] Oatway spent eight years at Brighton & Hove Albion and eventually became club captain.

[3] After his retirement, Oatway spent some time as a sporting liaison for "Albion in the Community", offering coaching sessions at Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College.

[4] Following his professional retirement, Oatway joined Conference South team Havant & Waterlooville as a player and assistant manager.

On 29 November 2016, Oatway joined Chinese Super League side Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, as a member of coaching staff to Gus Poyet.

[9] His son, also called Charlie, spent several years working through football developmental squads, including 2009–10 with Bognor Regis Town and 2012–13 with Brighton.