Richard Brodie was born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, and grew up in the town as a Sunderland supporter He attended Whickham School and played football for the Gateshead district team as a teenager. He later played youth football with Whickham Fellside Juniors from the age of 10 to 16,

Brodie started his senior career in 2004 after making substitute appearances for Whickham in the semi-pro Northern League Division Two before playing for them permanently aged 17. He scored a hat-trick for Whickham in a 5–3 victory over Marske United in November 2005 and scored 21 league goals in 35 appearances and was their top scorer in the 2005–06 season.

He signed for York City in January 2007 and finished 2006–07 with one goal and played in the Conference National play-off semi-final. He finished the season as York's top scorer with 19 goals in 2008-09 and played in their FA Trophy Final defeat to Stevenage at Wembley Stadium. Dave Flett of The Press said Brodie "looks a potent package of pace and power with a competitive streak that should strike fear into countless Conference defenders"
The 2009–10 season saw Brodie play in York's defeat in the Conference Premier play-off Final at Wembley Stadium, his second appearance at the National Stadium and again finish as top scorer, this time with 34 goals.

He joined Crawley Town in August 2010 for an undisclosed fee, and with them he won the Conference Premier title in 2010–11. scoring 11 goals in 38 matches. He joined Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan for 2011–12, winning a second Conference Premier title in as many seasons.

Spells with Morecambe ,Grimsby Town, Gateshead before joining Southport in 2014-15 and became the clubs top scorer that season with 14 goals.

At the start of the 2017-18 season Skelmersdale United manager Alan Rogers signed Brodie, who was now 30 and he made his United debut on the opening day of the season, away at Brighouse, scoring his first goal away at Prescot on August bank Holiday Monday, he made 10 appearances, scoring 3 goals before leaving after the 4-1 defeat at Radcliffe.

Brodie racked up a number of clubs over a short period of time, Solihull Moors, Warrington, Rushall Olympic, Ilkeston and Ramsbottom before returning to Skem under Manager Paul McNally in August 2019. Making a total of 50 appearances, scoring 13 goals.

He left United to take his first steps in Management, joining Ashton Athletic in November 2021.