[EricH]

FRC referees have:

--Written test (not sure of passing score, but for inspectors, 90% was passing).
--Weekly conference calls with other refs, including the one ref who is on the GDC (Aidan Browne).
--There is at least one complete, up-to-date rulebook somewhere in the arena area--if the FTA doesn't have one, the Head Ref doesn't have one, and the Lead Inspector doesn't have one (and one of those three has to have one somewhere), some team member probably does. I can't think of a soccer game where I've seen the soccer resources you listed immediately available.
--6 or 7 referees, most of whom are veteran refs.
--Means to contact FRC HQ quickly if something goes haywire. (And I'm willing to bet that most soccer refs don't have the means to contact their federation's HQ in a hurry during the game...)
--A challenge/question box, for cases where interpretation is needed or the ref is flat out wrong according to the rulebook (it's happened).

The one thing that soccer refs have that FRC refs don't: They always have the same game, with whatever minor tweaks are applicable for the play level. FRC refs learn a brand new game every year. Oh, and to learn it, the head refs go to FIRST HQ to learn it right from the designers. (As do some other folks who learn other aspects.)

It's great that you want to make reffing better, but when you look at the resources available to the refs, what could you add to make it better? Instant replay? (BTW, I'm well aware of the technological and logistical challenges on that.)

I can only recall 4 major officiating blunders in my time in FIRST, and 3 of them weren't the ref's fault; the 4th was a combination of factors compounding a simple mistake.