Detroit Police Athletic League has lost financial support from Lear Corp. over its plan to use artificial turf on the ballfield it’s reincarnating at the former Tiger Stadium site.

Lear has pulled its $25,000 annual sponsorship of PAL’s Paul W. Smith Golf Classic — an event it’s supported since 2009 — citing concerns over the historic preservation of the site and safety concerns about the use of artificial turf, said Chief Advancement Officer Russ Russell.

The plan to use artificial turf on the site came to light last week when PAL announced its plans to break ground on the project in April, after raising $12 million toward the estimated $15.43 million cost to create a multisport complex for Detroit children and a new headquarters for the nonprofit on the site of the old Tiger Stadium.

Matt Simoncini, president and CEO at Southfield-based Lear, said what’s happening on the historic site doesn’t follow the spirit of the $3 million in federal funds secured for the preservation of the site seven years ago.

“There was $3 million earmarked for the preservation of that site, not the building of condos and a rec center, and certainly not for artificial turf,” Simoncini said. “The only way we can voice our concerns is to vote with our dollars, and that’s what we decided to do.”

In a letter to Detroit City Council, Simoncini also said the artificial surface is unsafe for kids.

Detroit PAL went through an extensive study, and all the research supported that the synthetic turf would be more durable, is safe for children and the maintenance costs would be less, CEO Tim Richey said.

Using synthetic turf “will create a long-term sustainable facility that will serve thousands more kids than it would if it would have been a natural surface,” he said.

By giving people the opportunity to enjoy a ballgame there again, Detroit PAL “is actually retaining the historic nature of that site,” Richey said.

Using synthetic turf enables sports including soccer, tee-ball, softball, baseball and possibly lacrosse to take place on the field and enables its use even when it has rained, Russell said. If it rains on a grass field you can’t play that day, and chances are, not the next day either.

“If someone can prove to us that the field isn’t going to turn into a mud pit and we’re going to be able to use it and program it, we’re still willing to listen to all those different options,” he said.

“But right now it’s not making clear sense to us that that is even possible.”

Simoncini said PAL is not working with those concerned over the plan.

“We have contributed equipment and labor to keep that field clean; we have a vested interest in keeping that diamond, but no one has said let’s work collaboratively,” Simoncini said. “This is just more evidence of Detroit area organizations not working together.”

Simoncini said PAL could, and should, work to include the city’s parks and recreation organizations and find an alternative place for a mixed-use field with artificial turf.

In addition to the $25,000 sponsorship Lear had provided to PAL each year since 2009, the auto supplier has also designated PAL as the beneficiary of a block of tickets it purchases for the annual Charity Preview of the North American International Auto Show.

PAL, which is operating on a $3 million budget this year, doesn’t yet know how much it will receive from the 2016 Charity Preview, Russell said. Last year it netted more than $330,000 from the event.

“Every donation is important to us. We would hope that Mr. Simoncini and Lear would reconsider, especially with the benefits we provide to over 12,000 kids annually,” Russell said.