Battle of the Badges returns to Troy

TROY — Troy ended the summer with a charity softball match between the city’s police and fire departments. 

The game was played Sept. 26 at Flynn Park. It not only brought the community together for a fun event, but it also raised funds for the Troy Police Department’s Honor Guard. 

The city’s first Battle of the Badges game was in 2019. For that inaugural game, the funds went to the Firefighters Memorial at Firefighters Park. 

But since that game, the event had been on hiatus — until now.

“One of our officers plays softball on the department team and thought it’d be a great idea to bring this event back,” said Sgt. John Julian, Troy’s public information officer. “Back then, the beneficiary was going to be the fire department … so wouldn’t it be nice if the Troy Police Honor Guard could benefit from this year’s fundraising.”

The event received a sponsorship from Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union, as well as support from the Troy Rotary Club. There was also a Circle T food truck and Gilly’s ice cream available to enjoy.

“It was really a one-stop family event,” Julian said. “You can go watch a game, have a good time, have some dinner and then some ice cream. You really could make a night of it.”

More than just a fundraiser, the event allowed community members and kids to connect face to face with the firefighters and police officers who keep them safe.

“We have to respond day in and day out to emergency situations and critical incidents,” Julian explained. “You may not be able to have firsthand interaction with a police officer or firefighter other than an emergency … so to have an opportunity to see us in a different aspect and really see us outside of the uniform is important.”

“All of our stations are manned by volunteers,” said Troy Fire Lt. Keith Young. “To build a team with six different stations, and to have representation throughout the stations … There are some stations that don’t run together, so it was cool to have everyone together on the team.”

Who won the game this year? Well, that’s a secret for those keeping score.

“In the spirit of sportsmanship … no one was keeping score,” Julian said while laughing. “As long as everyone had a good time, that’s all that matters.”

The event was deemed a huge success, so the goal moving forward is to make the Battle of the Badges a permanent fixture at the end of the summer for the city of Troy.

“It’s a way to give back to the community. If we’re not representing the honor guards, maybe we’re representing the fallen firefighters or being able to give back to foundations like United Nextdoor Heroes,” Young said. “That way we have a way to fundraise and make impacts in our community.”

Both departments are already working on a 2026 event.

“We’re already in talks for having our next annual event,” Julian said. “We had a good turnout, and we hope to make it something bigger and better as the years go on, because we know the fire department really enjoyed it as well as our officers. We see no reason why we shouldn’t be able to have this again.”

For more information on future games and other events, visit Troy’s Facebook page.