DES: Football Summer 2026

Force supports free soft drinks scheme for designated drivers during summer of football

A summer of international football is upon us and with that South Wales Police will be supporting selected licensed premises offering free or discounted soft drinks to designated drivers.

The scheme, which is better recognised as ‘DES’, will include participation from over 30 licensed premises across our force area. This summer’s campaign will kick-off on Thursday, June 11 and conclude on Sunday, July 19.

What is a designated driver and how does the ‘DES’ scheme work?

A designated driver is someone who abstains from drinking alcohol to act as the responsible driver for themselves and others and the ‘DES’ scheme is to promote responsible drinking with road safety in mind.

Getting involved couldn’t be more straightforward. If you are the designated driver on a matchday and find yourself at one of the selected licensed premises listed below, all you have to do is make yourself known to bar staff. In return, they will give you a ‘DES’ wristband, which will enable you to claim free or discounted draught soft drinks or squash.

It’s important to remember that whether this offer lasts all night, for a stipulated number of drinks or for selected matches, is determined by each individual licensed premises as they are the ones covering the costs. The role of South Wales Police is to provide posters and wristbands to help with advertising the scheme.

We know it can sometimes be a burden being the designated driver, but we hope the ‘DES’ scheme will encourage more people to be aware of the very serious consequences of drink driving and the importance of being safe on the roads.

Remember

There is no way to know how much you can drink and stay under the limit, since it can depend on your weight, age, metabolism, the amount of food you've eaten and other factors.

It's impossible to get alcohol out of your system quickly. It always takes time. A shower, a cup of coffee or other ways of ‘sobering up’ may make you feel better but won’t remove the alcohol from your system.

It’s worth remembering that if you've been out drinking, you may still be affected by alcohol the next day and could lose your licence if you drive and are still over the legal limit.

There are many risks involved when driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs but the biggest of all is the risk of causing a collision.

Driving under the influence of drink or drugs is totally and socially unacceptable and extremely dangerous. It can affect your driving in numerous ways and can create a false which can lead to an increase in risk-taking behaviour, which puts your life and the lives of others in danger.

Get involved

If you are a licensed premises and are interested in joining the scheme, then please contact your local licensing team.

The full list of licensed premises signed up to the scheme can be found below:

Cardiff

The Philharmonic, 76-77 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1FA

Brewhouse, 49 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1AD

Peppermint Bar & Kitchen, 63 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1FE

Coyote Ugly Saloon, 78-80 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1FA

Filthy McNasty's, 93 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1DX

Bluebell, 33 High Street, Cardiff, CF10 1PU

Temple Bar, 6 High Street, Cardiff, CF10 1AW

Rum & Fizz, Castle Quarter Arcades, High Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BU

Barker Tavern, 10-16 Castle Arcade, High Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BU

Gin & Juice, 6 Castle Street, Cardiff CF10

Mocka Lounge, 1 Mill Lane, Cardiff CF10 1FL

Retro, 7 Mill Lane, Cardiff, CF10 1FL

Tonight Josephine, 46 Caroline Street, Cardiff, CF10 1FF

Daffodil, 33 Windsor Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BZ

District, 2 Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, CF10 3AD 

The Four Elms, 1 Elm Street, Cardiff, CF24 3QR

Queens Vaults, 29 Westgate Street, Cardiff, CF10 1EH

Metro’s 10 Bakers Row, Cardiff, CF10 1AL

The Dock, Unit 1 Mermaid Quay, Cardiff, CF10 5BZ

The Discovery, Celyn Avenue, Lakeside, Cardiff, CF23 6FH          

Royal Oak, 17 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1DA

Brewhouse &  Kitchen, Sophia Close, Pontcanna, Cardiff, CF11 9HW

The Cricketers, 66 Cathedral Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff, CF11 9LL

Lewis Arms, Heol Goch, Pentyrch, Cardiff CF15 9PN

Vale of Glamorgan

St Fagans Penarth, 114 Glebe Street, Penarth, CF64 1EB

The Golden Lion, Glebe Street, Penarth, CF64 1EF

The Bearshead, 37-39 Windsor Road, Penarth, CF64 1JD

The Windsor, 95 Windsor Road, Penarth, CF64 1JE

The White Lion Hotel, East Street, Llantwit Major, CF61 1XY 

Swansea

Coyote Ugly Saloon, 41 Wind Street, Swansea, SA1 1EE

Jack Murphy's Wind Street, 5 Wind Street, Swansea, SA1 1DW

One Eyed Willy's, 20-21 Wind Street, Swansea, SA1 1DY

Jack Murphy's Uplands, 49 Uplands Crescent, Swansea, SA2 0NP