Why Your Favorite Football Club Is Quietly Getting Into Golf

Summary

• Italian football club AC Milan has teamed up with its kit sponsor PUMA on a golf collection
• American winger Christian Pulisic, an avid golfer since his youth, was tapped as the campaign star
• The collection reflects a growing trend in football clubs embracing golf as part of their wider lifestyle narratives

Are we about to see more global football clubs entering the golf conversation?

AC Milan just unveiled a new golf capsule with PUMA Golf; a tonal, lifestyle-forward collection fronted by Christian Pulisic, USMNT winger and known golf obsessive. The drop blends performance and elegance in equal measure, pulling cues from Milan’s off-pitch identity with a newly designed “AC Milan Golf Club” crest.

“Golf has always been one of my biggest passions outside of football,” said Pulisic. “So bringing those two sides of my world together through this collection has been truly special.”

It’s not the first move of its kind. Last winter, Premier League side Aston Villa quietly stepped onto the fairway with a capsule of links-ready gear including polos, jackets and hats with bespoke embroidery created in collaboration with kit sponsor adidas. Villa stars Matty Cash and Tyrone Mings fronted that campaign, which lived across club-owned socials.

Taken together, these collaborations reveal something deeper: for top-tier athletes, golf isn’t just a hobby. It’s part of their lifestyle. Amid the nonstop rhythm of domestic and international competition, golf offers something else entirely. A personal reset, a chance to connect with teammates away from the pitch, and a controlled environment where everything moves at your pace.

Of course, club-branded golf merch isn’t entirely new. But what’s changed is the intent, as well as the styling. These aren’t novelty headcovers or tossed-in ball markers anymore. Football clubs are operating like fashion houses now, building lifestyle narratives that stretch from matchday to off-season. Golf, in that context, becomes another canvas. A place to show taste, to point to heritage and convert fandom into wearability.

Using first-team players as talent? That’s the cheat code. Because what they lack in swing fundamentals, they more than make up for in presence. Gareth Bale figured this out after retirement, but what we’re seeing now is the realization that you don’t have to wait until your boots are hung up. You can build that crossover identity while still playing at the highest level.