The Story about NorCal Sports Officials: Greg Omoto - Owner, Assigner, & Official

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In 2014, longtime coach and official Greg Omoto set out to solve a problem he had seen for decades in youth and adult sports: leagues struggling to find well-trained, dependable officials who understood both the rules and the spirit of the game.

Drawing from nearly a lifetime in athletics, Omoto founded NorCal Sports Officials with a simple mission—provide professional, well-trained officials while mentoring the next generation of sports officials.

The organization began modestly. In its first year, NorCal Sports Officials worked with just one adult baseball league and a single adult baseball tournament. Omoto personally handled much of the scheduling, training, and officiating himself. What the organization lacked in size, however, it made up for with a commitment to professionalism, reliability, and a strong philosophy of officiating.

That philosophy was deeply rooted in Omoto’s own experience in sports, which began when he was still a teenager. In 1978, he began coaching and quickly learned the game from a unique perspective at a young age. During the 1980s, he coached alongside his father, legendary and icon on the Monterey Peninsula, Ben Omoto who had a lasting influence on how Omoto approached athletics.

His father shared a piece of advice that Omoto carried throughout his career:

“If you're going to coach, you need to officiate. And if you're going to officiate, you need to coach.”

The philosophy behind that advice was simple but powerful: to truly understand sports, one should experience every phase of the game—player, coach, and official. Seeing the game from every angle builds perspective, fairness, and respect for everyone involved.

Omoto embraced that philosophy fully. Over the years he built an extensive background in both coaching and officiating. He has coached for 39 years, including 22 years as a high school baseball and softball coach, helping develop young athletes both on and off the field. At the same time, he was building his officiating career.

Today, Omoto has more than 40 years of officiating experience, though he often says he considers 35 of those years his “serious” officiating “career”, noting that his first five years came while he was still a teenager learning the craft.

 

One of the highlights of his coaching career came at York High School in Monterey, CA, where Omoto helped revive a program that had disappeared. The girls fastpitch softball program at York had faded away in the 1980s, and Omoto was hired to play a key role in bringing it back.

 

In 1999, he was named Director and Head Coach of Softball, helping rebuild the program and create new opportunities for young female athletes to compete and grow in the sport.

 

Omoto’s success did not go unnoticed, and he was later asked to take over the softball program at Salinas High School, which had not reached the CCS (Central Coast Section) playoffs in over ten years. In 2006, under his leadership, the team made the CCS playoffs—and followed that with playoff appearances for the next three consecutive years. His success did not go unnoticed; Omoto was named the Salinas Californian County Coach of the Year, highlighting his growing reputation as a skilled and impactful coach.

 

Despite these responsibilities, Coach Omoto still found time to coach two traveling teams- the 13u Monterey Bay Rippers Baseball team and the 16u Monterey Bay Rippers Girls Fast Pitch Softball team. He coached both teams for 7 years, continuing to mentor young athletes at the competitive travel level. In 2009, Omoto returned to baseball at the request of his father, who had been involved with the Monterey High Toredores baseball program for over forty years. He was asked to take on the Head Coach role of the JV and freshman teams, a position he held for 2 years.

Later, he served as the JV Head Coach and assistant Varsity coach, further cementing his legacy in developing young athletes and shaping successful programs.

 

One of Coach Omoto’s proudest achievements was for twenty consecutive years, from 1999 to 2019, Coach Omoto conducted the Monterey Bay Rippers free baseball and softball workout and conditioning program for student-athletes on the Monterey Peninsula. The purpose of the program was to prepare young athletes for their local youth baseball and softball leagues, while also helping high school players get ready for their respective high school teams.

Student-athletes from Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Alvarez, Notre Dame, Santa Catalina, Palma, Seaside, and Gonzales High Schools participated in the program. Not one cent was ever charged. The only requirement was that each athlete commit to working hard in the conditioning portion of the program and focus on strengthening weaknesses in the individual fundamentals of baseball and softball.

His passion for coaching young athletes and officiating has made him even more appreciative of the rewards that come from both coaching and officiating.

 

By the time he founded NorCal Sports Officials in 2014, Omoto had already spent nearly four decades learning the game from every angle. His experience as both a coach and official helped shape the organization’s guiding principles.

Mentorship quickly became a central part of NorCal Sports Officials. Many officials who joined the organization were new to officiating, and Omoto took pride in developing them through training, on-field instruction, and guidance grounded in professionalism and effective game management. One of the challenges he relished with new officials is that he provides equipment for the new officials to borrow as he remembers how much is needed to umpire and the cost behind that.

Several officials he mentored have gone on to work higher-level games and now help train the next generation of officials.

Word quickly spread among leagues and tournament directors that NorCal Sports Officials offered something different—officials who were prepared, professional, and trained to manage games the right way. As demand increased, the organization steadily expanded.

 

From its humble beginning in 2014, NorCal Sports Officials has grown significantly. By 2026, the organization serves 28 youth and adult leagues, providing officials for a variety of sports, including:

• Baseball

• Girls Fastpitch Softball

• Basketball

• Soccer

• Flag Football

• Volleyball

What began with one adult baseball league and a single tournament has grown into a trusted officiating organization serving communities throughout Northern California.

Despite that growth, the foundation of NorCal Sports Officials remains unchanged: train officials properly, mentor the next generation, and uphold the integrity of the game.

 

For Greg Omoto, the organization represents more than a business—it is the continuation of a lifelong commitment to athletics and the belief that understanding the game from every perspective makes sports better for everyone involved.