US Figure Skating has hailed a growth in membership ©US Figure Skating

United States Figure Skating has announced an increase in its membership.

The governing body said that numbers were up by 1.9 per cent in 2015-16, when compared to 2014-15.

For the period beginning on July 1, 2015 and ending on June 30 of this year, the organisation boasted 181,703 members in all.

The number includes 122,503 "basic skills" members, 58,828 full members and 372 "friends of figure skating".

The figures were welcomed by US Figure Skating's President Samuel Auxier.

"We are thrilled to see US Figure Skating’s membership growth over the last year," he said. 

The news is a boost for figure skating in the United States ©Getty Images
The news is a boost for figure skating in the United States ©Getty Images

"Last year marked our third-highest membership since 1997 and was made possible by the dedication and hard work of our member clubs, programme directors and instructors, coaches, athletes, volunteers and staff."

The Basic Skills programme includes the Learn to Skate USA initiative, which was launched on June 1 this year.

It is has been endorsed by US Figure Skating, as well as USA Hockey, US Speedskating, the Special Olympics and the Professional Skaters Association.

There are currently 1,006 registered Learn to Skate USA programmes at ice rinks across the country.