He played as a forward for several clubs, most notably Millwall Athletic, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in Germany.
Brearley played 51 games and scored 13 goals for Millwall Athletic as he helped them win the Southern League District Combination and reach the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1900.
While there the First World War broke out and he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in the Spandau district of Berlin.
Among them were his former Everton teammate, Samuel Wolstenholme, and his former manager at Tottenham, John Cameron.