City Rovers Barchard began playing rugby league for
City Rovers senior side in 1929 after transferring there from
Ponsonby United at the beginning of the season.{{cite news
Auckland selection Barchard played four matches for City in 1930 and was in good form scoring two tries. He gained selection for
Auckland for their 31 May match at
Carlaw Park with
South Auckland (Waikato) after initially being selected in the training squad.{{cite news
New Zealand selection He then played a match for City against
Devonport United and scored a try before gaining selection in the
New Zealand trial match for the New Zealand Probables side.{{cite news The New Zealand touring team departed
Wellington for Australia on 27 June for
Sydney on board the
Huddart Parker steamer Ulimaron.{{cite news New Zealand played 13 matches on the tour. However, Barchard only played one match, which was the third of the tour against
New South Wales. He played in the second row and seriously injured his arm, requiring him to leave the field and ruling him out of the tour. New Zealand lost two other players to injury and with the no replacement rule in the second half found themselves down to 10 men and they went on to lose 29–2 at the
Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 19,060.{{cite news After New Zealand's return from the tour they played
Auckland at
Carlaw Park on 23 August. Barchard had recovered enough to play in the second row with New Zealand running out winners 34–27.{{cite news He then returned to the City Rovers side and played four matches before the season finished. City finished the
1930 season as runners up in the championship to
Ponsonby United. In the 1931 season he played 14 more matches for
City Rovers but his representative career had perhaps surprisingly come to an end with other players favoured over him for the Auckland side. During the season he scored four tries and spent some time in the backline.
Semi-retirement and transfer to Devonport and then Marist Barchard began the season with City but seemingly only played in the 30 April game against
Newton as he was not listed in any team line ups beyond this point. On 28 September he played in a company match for Atwaters Piano Company against Amalgamated Picture Theatres where it appears he was working with a brother as there were two Barchards named in the side.{{cite news In April 1933 he transferred from City to
Devonport United while his brother Lawrence had also departed City and was now playing for
Newton Rangers.{{cite news In 1936 his younger brother Vic transferred from Parnell to City Rovers and then transferred again to join Len at Marist though he played in the reserve grade. Vic later became more established in the first grade side and represented Auckland in 1941.{{cite news ==Personal life==